Ranma Saotome-Master of the Mystic Arts
by Brendan
Summary: Ranma and Dr. Strange crossover. After Jusenkyo Ranma hears about the Ancient One and decides to pay him a visit.
1. Chapter 1

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.

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Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts

By Brendan O'Donnell

Chapter 1

Ranma sat in a bar in Shanghai looking at the panda across the table from her guzzling down a bottle of Chinese whiskey. Glancing down at her own breasts she shuddered. She wanted to grab the bottle away from her father and drink until she forgot about them, until she could look in the mirror and not see the girl looking back. She looked at her father. The panda was now dancing unstably while all the customers clapped their hands. Then again, maybe not.

Someone near her said something in Japanese. Ranma focused her attention to listen. It had been a while since she had heard Japanese from anyone besides her father and the guide who left several days earlier.

"I'm telling you my arm was completely wrecked by the accident, but then the Ancient One just waved his hand, said something I couldn't make out and..." the Japanese sailor raised his hand to show the Chinese sailor siting opposite from him.

Nodding his head the Chinese sailor replied, "Hmm, is like old stories. Ancient One much wisdom much power. Can cure any wound, remove any curse."

Remove any curse? Ranma thought to herself. A few weeks ago she would have dismissed any such rumors, but after Jusenkyo... she stood, and walked to the table. "Could you tell me a little more about this Ancient One?" Seeing the sailors look at her she added, "Sorry, I haven't heard Japanese in a while."

Ranma stepped down the hallway with one of her father's arms pulled across her shoulders trying to help the panda beside her walk. It would have been helping if Genma hadn't been unconscious. Just three weeks in the mountains had almost been too much for them. Three weeks. Of course part of the difficulty stemmed from Shampoo's attack just as they were leaving which ruined half their supplies. No tents, no gas for that stove Genma had somehow acquired, and not nearly enough food. Her father had been half-dead with exhaustion and hunger when Ranma spotted the temple through the rising snowstorm. It had taken what seemed like hours to make their way to the doors. The doors that had opened with a touch, leading into this straight corridor down which she was dragging her father.

It was a large room with a domed ceiling that extended high above. The door she had entered was one of almost a dozen leading into the room.

On a platform was a large throne, circular at the base, and rising like a hemisphere, except where the part was cut away to leave a foot high platform covered with cushions. In this throne sat a very old-looking man. He was wearing lama-like robes over his almost skeletal frame, and gazing at Ranma and his father with eyes that seemed to see into their souls.

"Greetings traveler, You are welcome in this place."

Ranma took a deep breath and walked forward to the platform. "Are you the Ancient One?"

"You seek the Ancient One? Seek no more for you stand before him." Ranma stepped to the foot of the platform. "Speak. Tell me of the Jusenkyo curse that brings you to this place."

Ranma blinked and looked up at the Ancient One. "You know about that? Can you cure me?"

The Ancient One looked to another entrance and called, "Food and hot water for our guests!" He looked at Ranma. "You will be more comfortable in your original form, correct?"

"Yeah." Ranma looked down a moment and took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. "Look, Pop and I have been traveling for weeks looking for you because we heard you could cure curses. Can you get rid of this one for us?" The Ancient One simply looked at him a moment, then smiled as a small man in orange robes walked up behind Ranma and poured a little hot water on her head from a kettle he held. Turning away from the now-male Ranma the servant walked to the panda.

"You and your father must be tired from your journey. I shall have my acolytes prepare a room for you." He looked past Ranma to the figure who had just restored the panda's humanity. Turning to look at the Ancient One the orange clad figure bowed and walked out of the room.

Ranma looked at the Ancient One a moment, then stepped up the platform and grabbed the Ancient One screaming, "WE JUST CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD, SO CAN YOU CURE US OR NOT!"

His eyes narrowing, the Ancient One stated, "Insolence." He raised his arm. Suddenly Ranma found himself pulled away from the Ancient One. Pulled into the air by an unseen force. The Ancient One stood his arm loosely pointing in Ranma's direction. "None may lay hands upon the Ancient One." He dropped his arm, and Ranma fell to the ground, collapsing to his hands and knees from shock and exhaustion.

The Ancient One looked at Ranma, past him to his father, then shouted, "SHAN!"

"Master," A voice responded from a door to the side of the chamber. Ranma looked toward the voice as he pulled himself to his feet. The dark haired man was bowing his head toward the Ancient One, obscuring his face from Ranma. Then he raised his head. Shan was a few years older than Ranma, with short-cropped hair and a face that mostly conveyed a sense of stillness. However as he raised his head his eyes locked with Ranma's for a moment. Ranma forced himself to keep looking despite the overpowering sense of malice and hate he could feel in the young man's eyes. Then Shan was looking past him to the Ancient One.

"Please show our guests to their quarters for the night."

"Of course, master." Shan turned to look at the two travelers. With a slight smirk, he walked over to Genma. Reaching out his hand he made a grasping motion, and Genma floated a few feet off the floor. Glancing at Ranma he commented "This way," as he left the room through a large hall to the side.

Ranma sat looking out the window of the room he and his father had been given at the snow filled pass. According to Shan the Ancient One said it'll be almost a week before it'll be safe for us to leave. The memory of the trip to the temple through the raging storm brought on an instinctive shiver. At least dad's ok, Ranma thought looking over at his father who was lying on the sleeping pallet he had been given, snoring loudly. Not that that's such a great thing. Ranma scowled and looked back out the window.

A minute later Ranma stood and left the room.

Ranma stood at the doorway into the Ancient One's chamber. Magic. I'm half girl now thanks to magic, and here I am hoping some old guy has magic to change that. Well as soon as that's taken care of pop and I will be on our way and that's the last we'll have to deal with magic. He stepped into the room, then paused glancing beside the Ancient One's throne, where a strange orange mist was bubbling up from nowhere. Moving with a very un-mistlike cohesion, it reared up like a serpent. "Look out!"

The Ancient One glanced at Ranma then pivoted to the mist. He raised his hands, speaking quietly and as the mist shape struck a glow surrounded him. "The Vapors of Valtor cannot pierce the Shining Shield of the Seraphim," The Ancient One stated.

Ranma stepped into the room pausing as he watched the growing cloud. There has to be something I can do, but that has to be magic, How am I supposed to fight mist?

"Come no closer!" the Ancient One called at Ranma.

The Ancient One rose to his feet. The mists boiled around him like an amoebae trying to engulf its prey.

"In the name of the Vishtanti, begone!" The Ancient One proclaimed, punctuating his declaration with a gesture toward the cloud, which burst away from him. The vapor fragments hung pulsing in the air for moments, extended as though to reform around the Ancient One again, then dissipated into nothingness.

The Ancient One lowered himself into his throne, raising his unsteady hand to support his head.

"What was that?" Ranma said as he walked up to the throne.

"I have worked to prevent this world from falling to those from beyond for many centuries. In that time I have made a few enemies. One of them tried to catch me by surprise today."

Ranma looked at the Ancient One, the deep wrinkles lining his face, the frail, barely-more-than-skeletal arms, the drops of sweat on his forehead. "You shouldn't be having to do this."

"I must, my successor is not yet ready." The Ancient One looked into Ranma's eyes. "Ranma, you came to me seeking a cure for your curse. I can end your transformations, but the change itself is merely an aspect of what became part of you at Jusenkyo. The essence of that spring has interwoven itself with your karma, and if I prevent the structured manifestation of the change, it will manifest chaotically, almost certainly becoming a great personal calamity to you." He shook his head. "No potential cure will be effective or safe until you use the curse to reshape fate."

"So you can't help us. Thank you for saying so." Ranma bowed to the Ancient One and turned to leave the room.

Ranma slowly walked through the citadel, not looking at anything in particular. No cure here then. I shoulda guessed. That means we'll be leaving when the weather clears up. Hopefully Shampoo's given up on us; she definitely hasn't followed us through that storm. He stopped and glanced at the walls. I just hope the Ancient One will be OK. Protecting the world from those whatever and having weird clouds attack him. I hope nothing bad happens, he seems ok. He resumed walking, hands clasped behind his back. And Shan, I don't trust that guy. He looked up and saw light coming from an open archway to his right. Glancing through he saw Shan leaning over a table, engrossed by a small cloud of fog rolling on its center. Glowing orange mist, Just like what attacked the Ancient One. Then the mist dispersed revealing a small stone figurine of the Ancient One on his throne.

Shan suddenly rose, turning his head to look right at Ranma. Ranma saw Shan's eyes widen in surprise then narrow in confident malice. The memory of the Ancient One holding him in the air with a gesture flashed through his mind as he jumped into the room spinning into a roundhouse kick at Shan's head. To Ranma's surprise it connected, knocking Shan several feet away to land by the wall. Ranma looked at him a moment, surprised at his success. Then he saw Shan shaking his head and looking at him. Cursing his distraction Ranma clenched his fist and jumped across the room to his opponent.

A foot away from Shan, an unseen force struck Ranma, throwing him across the room. "Such an assault shall not be forgiven," Shan said as he rose to his feet. Gesturing quickly he added, "Nor shall it be repeated."

Ranma pulled himself partway up the wall, when a strange force suddenly encased his wrists and ankles, resembling an orange flame, but cool to the touch and hard and resilient. The mystic bindings pulled at him with more strength than he could resist, and he collapsed back onto the floor. Then Shan squatted before Ranma, and grabbed his hair, lifting his head to look up so they could see eye to eye.

"A very strong kick," Shan commented, rubbing his bruised cheek. With a scowl he lashed out, backhanding Ranma. "You need to learn not to attack your betters." This time Shan made a quick stabbing gesture at Ranma, who curled his body, barely keeping himself from screaming as agony surged through his nerves like fire. Shan smiled as he watched. A long minute later he cancelled his spell with another gesture.

Ranma rolled onto his side and looked up at his tormenter. "When the Ancient One learns..."

"You won't be telling him anything." Shan responded, gesturing once again. Ranma suddenly felt a sensation of his throat being grasped. "And there won't be anything to make him curious either," he added while gesturing once again. Suddenly the magic restraints faded away. Ranma looked down at himself a moment, then pulled himself to his feet. As he rose Shan grabbed his face. Ranma attempted to reach up to counter the assault almost instinctively, but the bonds reformed the moment his hands began to move. Shan let go, then with his other hand he drove a fist into Ranma's stomach, causing the martial artist to double over and fall to his knees. Looking at his fist Shan commented, "Crude and clumsy, yet so satisfying." With a laugh he left the room.

Ranma walked back into the Ancient One's throne room. He had tried talking with his father about the day's events, but while he could talk about the attack on the Ancient One, any attempt to mention Shan's treachery caused the spell to silence him. Not that it would have mattered, if pop knew about Shan he'd just decide to hide in his room till he could run away. Ranma felt a familiar sensation of distaste contemplating his father's cowardice. The Ancient One's trying to help the whole world and Shan's trying to kill him. He looked at his hands. A martial artist is supposed to help people, but I can't do anything about Shan!

Looking toward the Ancient One's throne, Ranma saw Shan bowing to the Ancient One seated there. Turning he walked up to Ranma, a triumphant smirk on his fact. "Ah, good to see you again, I was just informing the Ancient One that the storms have cleared and you can leave in the morning." Shan walked past and left the room.

Ranma looked after Shan, anger rising, then dropping as he felt the restraints tensing invisibly. Everything he knew, the skills he had spent ten years developing were useless against Shan. He had been defeated completely, and forever. NO WAY! There has to be some way of stopping Shan. Something that... Wait, his spell won't let me warn the Ancient One, but perhaps I can learn how to overcome the spell and fight Shan on his own terms. "Ancient One?"

"Yes Ranma?"

"I just wanted to know, can you teach me magic?"

The Ancient One looked at him appraisingly. "It is not a thing that can be learned casually. You would have to endure many hardships, and dedicate the rest of your life to the pursuit."

"I've got plenty of experience with hardships," Ranma responded. "And I do want to learn magic. It's something that would be worth dedicating my life toward mastering."

The Ancient One smiled. "A request I was hoping to hear from the moment you arrived in this hall. But," he raised his hand and gestured, "you should not make such a request while constrained by Shan's spells."

Ranma blinked. He raised his hands and looked at them. He couldn't feel any sensation of binding, not even when he visualized his fist smashing into Shan's face. "You knew."

"Shan is the agent of Baron Mordo, an earlier student of mine who also fell to the dark path. I knew the truth of Shan's allegiance from the moment he offered himself as my student. I am not beyond hoping that I might someday redeem him as I failed to redeem Mordo. What's more, here he is where I can watch him and keep him from harming the rest of the world. But now you are free from Shan's magic. Do you still wish to learn sorcery?"

Ranma thought a moment. Then he smiled and nodded. "Yes, I want to study sorcery under you."

Shampoo stood just outside Joketsuzoku village, looking south at the distant outlines of the mountains where her quarry had vanished just over a month earlier. She scowled thinking of her failure to kill her quarry before she and her panda could escape to the mountains. Thinking of the mountains caused her scowl to once again fade to puzzlement as it had so often from the moment her great grandmother had come to stop her pursuit.

Flashback

" You cannot pursue them into those mountains, Shampoo. "

" Why not Great Grandmother? "

" Because of honor. The people you spoke to said that the girl with the pigtail is seeking the Ancient One. I have not told you of this yet, but our family owes a great debt to the Ancient One, and any request he makes we must honor whatever the cost. If he had asked you to cease your pursuit of Ranma, honor would demand that you break tribal law and accept the consequences. "

"Ayah! What did the Ancient One do that could indebt us to him so completely? "

Cologne frowned and looked at her. " For you it is sufficient to know that the debt exists, and to honor it. " Smiling she added, " Don't worry Shampoo, there is a villager who owes us a great debt and when Ranma returns from the mountains we will hear. And however the Ancient One might feel about her death, if he doesn't tell you not to it's not your fault for acting in ignorance. "

End Flashback

" What kind of debt does our family owe? "

In a courtyard of the Ancient One's temple, Genma jumped at his son lashing out with a spinning kick that flowed into a rapid barrage of three punches. Ranma avoided the first attack, then blocked the handstrikes, backing away the whole time. As Genma stepped forward to press Ranma's retreat, Ranma tripped, falling backward. Genma picked up his attack, and walked right into a fast kick his son threw from the ground. As Genma staggered back, Ranma spun on the ground, sweeping his father's legs out from under him. Reversing the leg's path, he kicked it down, halting a centimeter from Genma's face. "I win," Ranma stated.

"Not bad Ranma, you've definitely improved enough to justify calling this training trip complete," Genma commented as he pulled himself off the floor.

"We're staying, Pops," Ranma responded as he raised his legs. A downward kick combined with arching his back threw him back into a standing position.

Genma looked at his son, then scowled. "Ranma, you are a martial artist! All this..." He trailed off gesturing about him, "We have been here over ten months! You belong in Japan, not sitting on a mountain chanting mantras all day!"

Ranma sighed, and glanced at a fountain fifteen feet away. Raising his hands he quickly gestured at the fountain. For a second a jet of water arced through the air splashing onto Genma's head turning him into a panda. Genma continued growling, stopping when he saw the water continue its course to splash Ranma invoking his curse.

"Ah man!" Ranma commented as she wiped the water off her face. "When am I going to get that to work right?"

Genma raised a sign stating, "That's what you get for being disrespectful to your elders, Boy."

Ranma looked at her father with a very neutral expression. Shaking her head she walked into the citadel.

Ranma paused as she saw Shan standing in the room before her. Her fellow student looked at her not bothering to hide the hate in his eyes.

"Shan," Ranma stated coldly, bowing slightly.

"You have made rapid progress boy," Shan declared. "I was patient for a time, but now I find I can no longer tolerate your presence here." Walking across the room, he came to a halt two feet away from Ranma. "I challenge you to Certamen in five hours. The loser will leave this place."

Ranma looked into Shan's dark eyes. "Challenge accepted."

"Pride is not your master, Ranma. You still need to learn this," the Ancient One commented as they walked together down the hallway.

"I know. But magic comes from within, and I learn better by facing challenges than by studying scrolls."

The Ancient One looked at Ranma and sighed. "You must find your own path, but you should not seek that path until you have mastered the founding knowledge." They reached a large pair of doors. A gesture from the Ancient One caused them to swing open.

The doors opened into a large doomed room. Dominating most of the floor was a complicated set of concentric magic circles. The larger circle was 500 feet in diameter, and with six lines moving inward to a second circle, which sported three smaller circles at the intersection of three of the lines. This circle then extended inward in a series of partial circles attached by lines from one circle inward, till they reached a whole 100-foot circle. Shan stood in one of the circles of the second circle.

"Master," Shan said, bowing to the Ancient One. "Let's begin," he added, swinging his gaze to Ranma.

Ranma walked to one of the empty circles, the Ancient One to the other. "You have issued the challenge Shan, and Ranma has accepted. What terms do you wish?"

Shan smirked. "That whoever loses this contest will leave this place forev..."

"For a year."

Shan looked at the Ancient One, then nodded. "As you say, whoever loses will leave and not set foot here till the sun attains a full cycle. By my honor, by my life, by my art I swear to accept these terms without complaint."

"I likewise swear," Ranma added.

"Very well," the Ancient One responded. Raising his hands to a triangular form before his face, he began to quietly chant. As the chant continued a glow sprung up around him, and suddenly the circle he stood within began to shine with a bright bluish white light. The Ancient One shifted his gesture slightly, and the light spread along the lines like molten silver filling a mold.

Ranma dropped to one knee, reaching down to place his right hand in the circle containing a hexagram that touched the line leading to the inner circles. Closing his eyes he focused his mind. The power flowing into the pattern flowed through him, gaining strength as it continued its flow into the inner portion of the pattern of lines. As he felt the power reach it's peak, he reached inward a moment, and let his astral body separate from his physical body.

Floating into the circle, Ranma gathered the power from the circle, and from the link with his physical form. Opposite him he could see Shan floating into the smallest circle, forming part of the power he was gathering into a black armor. Concentrating Ranma channeled part of his power into his own defensive aspect as well. His protection took the form of shimmering light, which seemed to fuzz the boundaries of his aspect. As he reached the inner circle he focused power into the other aspect of Certamen, attack. Power gathered in a sphere in his right hand. He saw Shan forming a similar sphere between both hands in front of him.

Shan released his attack. The ball of energy flew at Ranma. Ranma waited. The sphere of dark blue power streaked with ebony exploded five feet from Ranma, erupting into the form of a great blue and black striped snake, which lunged at Ranma. Ranma flew forward, dodging past it. Raising himself to an airborne approximation of standing, Ranma released about half the power he had gathered into the sphere as a score of light darts shooting toward Shan like a cloud. Simultaneously he focused his defensive power behind him, bracing him against the blow impacting with his defensive field as he released his attack. Forming what was left of his attack sphere into a katana, Ranma pivoted, slashing into the snake form, which dissipated from the attack.

Ranma spun again, feeding power into the sword he held. Shan wasn't in sight. Raising his hand he concentrated defensive power into a shield above, just in time to deflect most of a large black tinted energy blast falling on him like a meteor. Sinking from the impact Ranma could feel the energy that penetrated the shield somewhat disrupting his links to the circle. The shattering of that link wouldn't be fatal, it would however be Shan's victory. No way. Reforming his sword into a staff he flew up toward Shan, dodging another blast as he ascended. Twirling the staff in hands he struck at Shan in a flurry, forcing the sorcerer backward. Then as Ranma circled the staff in a blow Shan flew backward to avoid, he shifted the staff into a chain, which wrapped around his enemy. Channeling his raw offensive power through the chain, he was able to inflict some damage of his own before Shan formed a dagger to cut the weapon.

Shan dropped, flying downward at full speed. Ranma followed, dissolving the chain back into its unshaped magic. Shan pivoted a few feet from the floor, hurling three spheres of power at Ranma. Ranma formed three shields, shaping the attack power to strike and disrupt whatever attack was strongest.

The center sphere shifted into the likeness of a black furred cat.

"NO!" Ranma cried as he focused his energy into reversing his descent. He let his attack power dissipate, dropped two shields and focused every reserve into a shield between him and the cat. As the cat form popped like bubble on Ranma's shield, the other two blasts struck him full force from the sides.

From the sidelines, Genma grinned and clenched his fist. Yes!

Ranma checked the wax seal on a scroll before adding it to several more filling a wooden box.

"I can carry some of those if you want, Ranma," Genma commented as he finished packing his own backpack. Ranma looked up at him, then picked up the final scroll, checked its seal, and added it to the box. Looking over the scrolls he picked up a wrapped cloth bundle and put it over the scrolls. Closing the lid he picked up two strips of paper, and spread them across the top of the box. Picking up a candle and a chunk of wax he melted a small blob onto the intersection of the two strips. Speaking quietly he gestured over the wax, then picked up a small silver disk and pressed it into the wax. A ripple of something passed across the surface of the box.

"Well, I pity anyone who tries to get past that."

Genma looked at the box with a somewhat fearful expression. "Um, what did you do Ranma?"

"A low level aversion to keep most folk from wanting to steal it, an alarm function to warn me if anyone's tampering with it despite, and a little something to make whoever it is feel REAL penitent." Ranma grinned as he finished his explanation. Putting the box into his empty backpack, Ranma began adding his clothes and few possessions on top of it.

Genma glanced at the box again. Ok, the scrolls won't make good kindling. I just have to trust that getting away from here will make the boy realize he's a martial artist and it's not his place to throw away all of my hard work!


	2. Chapter 2

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.  
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brendan@wiltonnewyork.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://www.wiltonnewyork.com/Brendan  
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Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts  
By Brendan O'Donnell  
Chapter 2  
  
"You've never even met this Ranma? And one of us is getting engaged to him?!" Akane proclaimed, glaring at her father across the table.  
"Hey look at this as an excuse to tell Kuno to get lost," Nabiki commented in a conspiratorial murmur to her sister.  
"Would you quit it about Kuno! My boyfriend is my own business."  
"Well seeing as how you refuse to kiss him, hug him, or hold hands with him, and hit him every time he come within three feet of you..." Nabiki commented looking at her sister.  
In response Akane crossed her arms before her chest and turned away with a loud "Humph!"  
The doorbell rang.  
"That must be Ranma!" Nabiki said excitedly as she ran to the door, closely pursued by her father. A second later they ran back around the corner, followed by a panda that calmly walked into the room.  
"Stupid excuse for a father," Muttered a red haired girl as she walked around the bear, taking off her backpack with one hand. "I told him we should get some hot water first but oh no, go to the Tendos' first, and by the way you're getting engaged to one of them." Rooting through the backpack she pulled out a large metal thermos.  
Soun blinked. "You wouldn't be..."  
The red haired stranger looked at him and responded, "Ranma Saotome, sorry about the confusion."  
Soun grabbed her and pulled her into a fast hug, knocking the thermos and backpack from her hands. "Oh I'm so glad you're finally here! I've waited for this day for so..." Blinking he grabbed Ranma by the shoulders and pushed her to arms length to look at her. Staring at her chest he backed away.  
"Oh what a cute girl you've found for us to marry," Nabiki commented sarcastically.  
"Girl..." With a small yelp Soun collapsed into a faint.  
"Ah great," Ranma commented as she picked up the thermos. Tossing it to her left hand she walked over to Soun, and crouched down to touch his forehead with her right hand. "Hmm." A low-level probe showed her no obvious problems so she directed a light trickle of power through her hand. "Wake up."  
With a start Soun woke. "Uh, what? Saotome? Ranma? Girl!?"  
"Calm down," Ranma stated as she stood and opened the thermos. "It's a strange story," she said pouring a cupful of hot water. "But it's got simple consequences." She poured the hot water over her head. And changed into a taller black haired boy. "Spring of Drowned Girl." He poured another cup, which he immediately flicked into the Panda's face. "Spring of Drowned Panda."  
"Oh my," Kasumi commented, the only Tendo in the room not frozen with shock.  
Genma wiped the hot water from his face and commented, "Weren't you concerned about going too fast, boy?" He glanced at Soun and extended a hand for him to grab. "Don't worry old friend, I can explain everything."  
Soun pulled himself to his feet with Genma's help. He looked at his old friend. "Explain. Yes, an explanation!" He paused and looked at Genma. Tears streamed down his face. "It's been so long since I've seen you, old friend. Come into the living room, and we can all hear your story."  
  
"So that's what happened," Soun commented softly as he stood and walked to the door overlooking the garden. "The true horror of Jusenkyo has been shrouded in mystery for so long."  
Ranma snorted and looked at his father. "Nope, the true horror's described in the brochure where Pop got the idea of training at Jusenkyo. And if he actually spoke a word of Chinese or had thought to ask the guide about the place it might have mattered."  
Genma scowled. "Ranma, stop whining like a girl!" He reached out and grabbed Ranma by his shirt and threw him into the Tendo pool. "The path of a true martial artist is the path of peril and conflict! Have you forgotten, aren't you prepared to lay down your life for the art?"  
Ranma stood in the pool. Her eyes narrowed. "Life, not manhood!" Focusing her energy Ranma quickly sliced her hand through the pond's surface in a semicircular pattern. She brought the hand up in an arc ending with her hand pointed at her father. A fierce stream of water shot along that path crashing into Genma, knocking the panda on his back.  
Ranma leapt from the pond, and with two steps was on the walkway at the door. Genma rose to his feet and assumed a defensive stance. Ranma remained at the doorway in a guarded cat stance.  
Soun stood and stepped between the two cursed martial artists. "Calm down you two. Ok, let's see if I have this right." He turned to Genma. "Cold water turns you into a panda." Holding up a steaming kettle he poured it over the panda's head. "But hot water returns you to normal."  
"No need for it to be that hot, Tendo."  
Soun walked to where Ranma had switched to a more causal posture. "Cold water turns you into a girl, and hot water turns you into a boy." He extended the kettle toward Ranma, who grabbed it out of his hands.  
"Hot, not boiling!"  
With a grin Soun Tendo clasped Ranma on the shoulder. "Well, it's no problem after all." With a grin he turned Ranma to look where his three daughters were sitting. "My eldest daughter Kasumi, my middle daughter Nabiki, and my youngest daughter Akane. Whoever you choose, she's your new fiancee."  
"He wants Akane," Nabiki stated simply. Her sisters looked at her.  
"I have to agree Nabiki," Kasumi responded with a nod of her head.  
"What, why would I... It's bad enough with Kuno!..."  
"Well, isn't a fiancee the perfect excuse to dump Bokken Brain?"  
"Quit reminding me about everything that's wrong with my boyfriend! Besides what proof do I have that mister boy-girl here isn't worse than Kuno?"  
"Haven't you kept saying that no one could be worse than Kuno?" Nabiki responded.  
"First off!" Ranma stated raising her hand. "I have no intention of getting engaged to someone I met twenty minutes ago!" She looked at Soun. "I respect family honor, but if you can't wait a few months for the sake of your daughter's happiness..."  
"I... " Tears began to stream down Soun's cheeks as a brief look of shame was swallowed by a look of desperation. "Please! For the sake of the art! At least think about..."  
"It's family honor so I'm not saying no. It's the rest of my life so I'm not saying yes. I just want to wait."  
"And what about me!?" Akane shouted with an angry glare at Ranma. "There is no way I am getting engaged to some weirdo like you!"  
Ranma looked at Akane. She felt the anger building inside her. "Then we won't get engaged! Even if I believed in coercion, I don't want to marry some short tempered tomboy!"  
"What did you call me!!"  
*Anger can be a potent tool, but if you let it control you, you risk destroying part of yourself.* Taking a breath and releasing it, Ranma closed her eyes and reached up a hand to massage her forehead.. "Sorry, insults are too easy." Lowering her hand she looked Akane in the eye. "All I want is to pretend that this entire engagement agreement doesn't exist for a few months. Is that ok with you three?" She glanced past Akane to direct a stare at her two sisters.  
"As far as I'm concerned I don't even know you!" Akane responded as she turned and stormed upstairs.  
Ranma glanced after her, then directed her attention to Mr. Tendo who was now grasping his arms and staring into his face, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Promise me you'll choose a fiancee in a month. If you don't... The Dojo..."  
"Three months. Then I'll make a decision about the engagement question," Ranma replied pulling her arms free.  
  
"We mainly use the attic for storage, but there should be enough room so that you can set up whatever you need. Just ask me before rearranging anything please."  
"Thank you," Ranma replied looking around the compact room with it's sharply angled ceiling. Closing his eyes he extended his perceptions. The house was well located, with strong currents of mystical energy circulating through the entire area. And as he reached out his mind he felt the presence of benign spirits suffusing the entire house. "This'll be perfect." *Yes. It'll take a few days to set things up for the spell, but then I shouldn't have any worries about someone trying to sabotage my equipment. Baka Oyaji.*  
"What did you want to set up here?" Kasumi asked.  
"Hmm?" Ranma glanced at her. "Oh, I just need someplace quiet and private to decipher the secrets of the universe."  
  
Akane jogged down the street, and at the entrance to the Tendo Dojo she pivoted to enter, a contented smile on her face. The grin was swallowed by an expression of shock as she looked into the yard where a series of loud shouts had erupted. "What?" She ran to look.  
Genma was unleashing dozens of blows at Ranma, all of which were blocked by his son as he retreated toward the pond. Suddenly Ranma crouched under the barrage and kicked at his father's legs, knocking them out from under him. Genma caught himself with his hands, then pushed off to vault over the pond. He landed in a defensive posture, then blocked his son's flying kick.  
Akane looked on. "Hmm, they're pretty good."  
"High spirited." Kasumi smiled as she looked up from setting the table for breakfast.  
The two combatants leaped, clashing together over the pond in a flurry of punches and kicks, which ended with Ranma knocking his father into the pond with a kick that threw himself to the rocks.  
"I win, Oyaji," Ranma commented with a smug grin on his face.  
"Oh my!" Kasumi declared, looking at Genma. "What do panda's eat? Oh yes!" She pulled out a large plate of bamboo and set in on the table.  
  
"I don't want any arguments from you, boy. We'll be staying for a while and you'll be going to school!" Genma declared.  
"Ok," Ranma responded. "Did you happen to pick up some books and that, or will I have to shop for myself?"  
Genma blinked a second, then pulled out a leather backpack/satchel. "Uh, here."  
"Hey Ranma, time to get going," Nabiki commented as she glided around him with a grin on her face.  
  
"You sure seem to be pushing Akane to get engaged to me," Ranma commented to Nabiki as he hopped from the fence to where she was walking a dozen feet ahead of Akane. "I don't suppose you're interested in getting this Kuno guy unattached?"  
"Kuno!?" Nabiki proclaimed in a thoroughly disbelieving tone. "Well you haven't met him yet. Trust me only an idiot would want him for a boyfriend." With a worried look she glanced backward for Akane, then sighed in relief as she saw her sister hadn't gotten close enough to overhear them yet. "Do you know anything about magic?"  
Ranma just managed to force himself not to freeze in shock. "What do you mean?"  
"Well ever since Akane suddenly decided Kuno was her boyfriend I've tried to find some reason she'd suddenly stop hating him for being such a complete jerk and deciding to accept his 'date me' offers. Not that she's actually dated him mind you. Or even stopped hating him really." She shook her head. "It can't be drugs, and hypnosis shouldn't work like that by what I've read. Of course magic isn't possible, or at least wasn't supposed to be possible." She glanced at Ranma with a wry grin on her face.  
"My curse is proof that magic isn't impossible, and you're hoping to learn that I've spent the last eleven months studying magic under the earth's sorcerer supreme, right?"  
Nabiki looked at Ranma, then laughed, putting her hand to the back of her neck. "Yeah, silly huh."  
  
"Beloved Akane Tendo!"  
Ranma glanced away from the gates to the school to look at the source of the cry, a tall student wearing the traditional Kendo uniform and holding a large bouquet of red roses who was running toward the trio.  
Akane's sigh was full of resignation and a little tiredness. "Kuno."  
With a flourish Kuno tossed the bouquet to Akane who casually caught it. "Truly the beauty of these perfect blossoms pales before your radiance, Akane Tendo."  
Akane glanced at them. "They're as cute as all the other roses."  
Kuno stepped forward and grabbed Akane's hands, which involuntarily jerked away. "Hands off!" Akane declared with a scowl as she dropped the bouquet and knocked his arms away.   
"But, my love!" Kuno responded stepping forward while spreading his arms to hugging position. Akane responded with a kick knocking him back to the school.  
"This is the way you treat your boyfriends?" Ranma asked as he stepped up to her.  
"Shut up."  
"Hold, how dare you stand so close to my beloved Akane Tendo?!" Kuno stated as he rose to his feet, shifting his grasp on a bokken he hadn't been holding a second before.  
"Hey I'm..."  
"Wait! Before a challenge can be issued it is first proper to offer ones own name. Therefore listen well, I am the mightiest warrior of this school, undefeated master of the sword, the rising star of the World of Kendo! My peers call me the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High! I am Tatewaki Kuno."  
Ranma looked at him quietly a moment. "I'm Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. My father's a friend of the Tendo family and we're their guests for a few months."  
"You think yourself worthy to share the roof of my Akane Tendo?" Kuno stepped foreword slashing at Ranma with his bokken. Ranma calmly flipped backward, landing casually on the trunk of a nearby tree. Kuno's follow up slash missed Ranma and cut the tree in half.  
"Would you cut that out!" Ranma shouted angrily as he avoided Kuno's thrusts and stepped close to the kendoist. "Whatever your problem with that violent girl is, I have nothing to do with it! And I want nothing to do with it!"  
"How dare you speak that way about Akane Tendo!" Kuno screamed as he attacked with a flurry of thrusts, which Ranma avoided, with a short set of backflips followed by a leap into the air. As he descended Kuno thrust upward, while Ranma struck out with his fingers.  
It started to rain.  
  
"Mr. Saotome?" Akane asked as she walked into the shed she had seen the panda carry Ranma into. "Ranma?"  
"Damn rain," Ranma muttered to herself as she considered a small kettle. "I was winning too.  
"Check your throat," Akane responded.  
"Akane?" Ranma glanced at her, then raised his hand to a thin bruise just next to her collarbone. "Hmm, Better than I thought." She picked up the kettle and poured it over her head.  
"Even match I guess," Akane commented.  
The now male Ranma quickly toweled his hair and responded, "Not really." He smirked, remembering his own 'signature' move before the rainfall had begun. "Why are you here anyway?"  
"We have the same homeroom, and I don't want you to be late for your first day."  
"Well I figure being male for my first day is more important, but you're right." He walked out of the shed, and paused at the door and glanced at the panda. "Thanks for actually being helpful this time Pop."  
  
*So much for not being late,* Ranma thought as he contemplated the two buckets of water he and Akane were currently required to hold in the hallway.  
"It's your fault we're late, you know." Akane glanced sideways at him, frowning.  
Ranma looked at her. "I'd be more inclined to blame Kuno myself." He saw her eyes narrow in annoyance. *I'm not saying anything more on that subject.*  
Akane sighed. "I guess I must look crazy, having someone like that as a boyfriend."  
"Everyone has hidden depths."  
"If Kuno does, they're well hidden. Well he does have a decent sense of romance, and he really knows how to make it seem like you're the only person in the world, but whenever he tries to hold my hand or anything..." Akane grimaced and rubbed her hand with a slightly disgusted expression. "I mean, why am I telling you this!?"  
Ranma looked and saw himself targeted by a gaze filled with anger and a little confusion. "Um, whoa!" He jumped to avoid a splash of water from down the corridor.  
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno declared as he threw aside his now empty bucket and drew his bokken. "I shall never accept your engagement to Akane Tendo!"  
The windows of the classroom exploded open, allowing the students to inundate the corridor with questions.  
"Wait, we're not engaged," Ranma said, hands raised in a non-martial defensive posture.  
"It was all our fathers' idea," Akane added.  
Kuno stepped forward, slashing Ranma's bucket in half. Ranma dodged the thrusts following, then jumped past the kendoist. "This is no place to fight, Kuno. This way!" He ran down the hallway, Kuno following.  
"I don't believe this!" Akane commented as she ran after the pair.  
  
"Let's finish this outside," Ranma declared as he opened a window and leaped out.  
"I follow!" Kuno declared as he leaped after Ranma.  
"Wait! This is the third floor!" Akane called after the pair.  
"No problem... Ahrgh!!" Ranma commented as he looked down at the swimming pool he and Kuno were falling toward.  
"Lucky there's a pool there," a student standing beside Akane commented.  
  
"NO WAY!" Ranma stated, as he brought his hands together before him and concentrated, chanting softly to himself. His decent slowed. Kuno shot past him into the pool. Ranma drifted down, halting an inch above the still agitated waters. "Whew!" He frowned and glanced at the school. "Now what do I..." A hand shot from the pool grabbing him by the ankle and pulling him in.  
"I fight on, Saotome!" Kuno proclaimed, his words garbled by the water. He grabbed his opponent, and froze as his hands grasped somewhat more than expected on Ranma's chest.  
"You pervert!" Ranma screamed as she reached behind herself to grab Kuno by the head. Focusing on the still active levitation spell, she willed herself to shoot into the air, spinning to dislodge Kuno. Fifteen feet above the pool, she flexed her ready arms and threw him back into the water. She raised her hands just above her forehead.  
"Winds that blow from west to east, I summon you by my command."  
She raised one hand, it's now glowing palm facing the sky.  
"Deliver your might as I request, the power of lightning into my hand!"  
With a final gesture, Ranma released the lightning bolt into the pool.  
  
Ranma sat on a limb of a tree. She was holding her pants in her hand. "That was an overreaction," she commented as she folded the wet cloth. "Reacting out of anger like that in an important battle could turn victory into defeat." Grasping the cloth at both ends of the roll she twisted it, wringing a small cascade of water from the fabric. "The fact that it felt good to blast that pervert has no bearing." She unrolled her pants and snapped them out.  
"Ranma!"  
Ranma looked down and saw Akane standing behind a rather irate looking Nabiki. "This morning you said you didn't know anything about magic," Nabiki stated angrily.  
Ranma grinned and leaned foreword on the branch. "No I said I'd studied magic for the last eleven months and you decided I was being ironic." Akane giggled in response.  
With a scowl Nabiki responded, "Ha ha ha." Holding up a kettle she tilted it pouring a slow stream of water from the spout. "I guess you don't want any of this."  
"WAIT!" Ranma responded, grabbing her pants and jumping down from the tree. She looked at Nabiki. "Can I have that kettle?"  
"Hmm," Nabiki responded. "Let me think. Hot water has value to you, so I should be compensated. What would be appropriate?" she said in a very matter-of-factly tone.  
"Hold!"  
The three girls looked at Tatewaki Kuno who strode up to them. "Ah, fair Akane Tendo. Tell me, have you seen that base coward Ranma Saotome? The wretch fled my wrath, forcing another to take his place in his cowardice! No matter I shall..." Ranma stepped in, quickly kicking Kuno in the face. "That hurt."  
"Alright, you want to fight? Let's go!"  
"How amusing," he responded raising his bokken. "If you defeat me I agree to date with you!" he said, lashing out at Ranma with a quick thrust. Ranma stepped back easily avoiding it.  
"Nabiki, did Kuno just offer to go on a date with Ranma?" Akane quietly said to her sister.  
"That's what I heard." She pulled out a small notebook, and flipped through several pages. "Kuno acting like a supreme jerk event 98, offering to date a girl in front of my sister who he considers his girlfriend."  
"Hey you..." Akane started, trailing off as she saw Ranma step in avoiding Kuno's thrust and jumped up and backward circling a leg to smash into his face on the way.  
Kuno hit the ground three feet back and rolled another four feet more. *She is formidable! Even more so than Akane Tendo!*  
"Ranma Saotome's even better, by the way." Kuno heard her call to him as she dodged past Nabiki Tendo and walked toward the school.  
"Hey!" Nabiki cried as she ran after the pig-tailed girl.  
Akane glared angrily down at him. "I keep thinking you can't make yourself look like more of a jerk and you keep proving me wrong." With a sharp 'humph' of disdain she pivoted and walked back to school.  
Kuno thought about the strange girl. He remembered seeing her floating above the pool, her power and beauty stunning him like a thunderbolt. "Truly I am blessed by the gods," he said, then pulled himself to his feet. Walking to where he had faced her he knelt to pick up his bokken. Looking down he ran his fingers through the grass, then raised the single hair he had seen. It was the same unusual shade as the girl's. "Truly blessed."  
  
Ranma stood in the attic, examining the papers he had attached to the four walls. "Ok." He turned to the three interconnected circular diagrams drawn on the floor in the center of the room. "Right, now to get started." Stepping into one circle he faced the other two. Gathering his mystical energy he began directing a flow through the diagram. "I walk with the light. I walk with the wind. I embrace the flow of the water. My strength rises up from the earth. Spirits who protect and powers that preserve, I call you to me."  
The circles began to glow brighter and brighter, and around the circles shimmering barely visible forms began to appear, circling around him. {Who are you?}  
Ranma heard the echoing voices and looked to the forms circling him. "I am a servant of the sacred fire. I am one who knows the color of magic. I am a seeker of your aid."  
{Aid?}  
"The diagrams are drawn. The powers are aligned. Will you bless my goal with your acceptance?" The spirits circled around him faster and faster, the circles glowed more brightly.  
{Yes.} The glow from the circles built as the diagrams attached to the walls blazed into light. The light faded.  
"Ok." Ranma commented as he stepped out of the circle and walked to the stairs. "Twenty four hours, and then I can finalize the enchantment." Suddenly he felt the low level magic defenses he had built up over the year deflect an incoming surge of magic. He froze as he shifted his attention inward and directed his efforts to augmenting his existing defenses. Then he relaxed as he felt the attack more clearly. It was a very minor compulsion spell, and easy enough to fend off. "I wonder who I've managed to piss off now?" He shook his head.  
"Ranma, Dinner's ready," Kasumi called up to him.  
"Coming!" Ranma responded.  
  
Ranma closed the doors of the dojo. Opening a small leather pouch he poured a small line of white sand before the doors. Speaking quietly he traced a symbol on the doors with his finger, then stepped back and watched the glowing character fade into nothingness. "Ok, dojo's sealed." He walked to the center of the room, and sat hands on his knees, palms up in a classic meditative position. Closing his eyes he focused inward as he had learned several months ago. Controlling his breathing he felt the power flowing through himself, gathered it, and pushed. Feeling the sudden sense of separation, he opened his astral eyes, and willed his astral body to float to three feet above the floor.  
"Now to business." He reached out and focused his senses on the compulsion spell that had failed to snare him earlier. It was crude and weak, and it was apparently linked to some sort of focus. With a smirk Ranma felt the link and flew through the ceiling, following the link back to the other part of the spell.  
  
"My oh my." Ranma commented as he looked at the room. The focusing object he had sought was easy to find. A straw doll with a single strand of his hair placed inside it sat on a small shelf, with three Polaroid's of his girl form at school pinned to the wall adjacent to it. Next to it was another straw doll. Ranma couldn't perfectly identify the hair inside the second doll by its aura, however the larger high quality photographs of Akane pasted to the wall surrounding it matched his best guess. "I guess that answers Nabiki's question about some sort of magic on Akane. Now what to do?" Ranma floated around the room and through several adjacent rooms, contemplating his options. "Ok," he concluded grinning to himself.  
Floating before the window in the room, he held his hands before the latch and focused his energy. The latch turned and the window slowly slid halfway open. Ranma floated to the two dolls. "So long," he commented as he released a quick spike of mystical force into the doll with his hair. The spell it was trying to snare him with dissipated as the hair evaporated, blackening the surrounding straw as it went. "Ok, now for the tough part." Inflating his chest in habitual imitation of taking a deep breath, he positioned his hands on either side of the second doll as though grasping a ball with the doll at its center. Then he rose, the ball floating between his hands. Turning to the window he floated out, making sure the doll passed through the open window.  
  
"Sloppy Ranma, I told you that chanting and hand waving would compromise your skills." Genma commented with a smirk as he looked at his son turned daughter as she pulled herself out of the pool.  
Ranma glared at her father and calmly walked to the breakfast table. As the combat rush faded she stifled a yawn. *I hate it when he's half right, but until I've built my mystic strength a bit more I'll have to get used to being tired for a while after I do anything big magically.* She thought about her astral experience the previous night. *Or in this case, maintaining something small for too long.* Glancing up she saw Akane sit opposite him.  
"Ah," Ranma said, pulling the straw doll out of her pocket, "Here, hold this a moment."  
Akane gingerly picked up the soggy doll. "What is it?" Ranma held his hands before him, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He made a quick grasping and tearing gesture, and Akane flinched as she saw sparks appear around both the doll and Ranma's hands for an instant. "What are you doing?"  
"Breaking a spell." Ranma responded lowering his hands and sighing tiredly. "I grabbed that from Kuno last night. It's the focus of a very minor compulsion spell. Do you actually want to be his girlfriend?"  
"No." Akane froze, blinking for a moment. "Hold on, you're telling me Kuno cast a love spell on me!?"  
"No, it's a compulsion spell. Specifically, it compels you to 'Embrace your true feelings, and date with him.'" Ranma shook his head disgustedly. "That kind of language is one of the mistakes that tends to kill off beginners."  
  
"My love!" Kuno ran from the school building, a bouquet of roses in his hand.  
Akane accelerated, running from where Ranma walked with her sister toward Kuno. "YOU STUPID JERK!" Akane screamed as she slammed a fist into Kuno's stomach. "I am not some sort of doll!" Akane knocked Kuno back with a fast roundhouse kick. "I do not and have never wanted to be your girlfriend!!" She grabbed him, smashed him against the ground then kicked him over the school.  
Nabiki looked at the path Kuno traversed past the clock tower. "If we hurry we should just make it." She commented, jogging past Akane into the school.  
  
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno screamed as he charged the tree where Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki had just sat.  
Ranma calmly looked up from his half-devoured bento. "What is it Kuno?" Behind him Akane clenched her fist, breaking her chopsticks in half.  
Kuno raised his bokken and pointed it at him. "You shall release Akane Tendo from your vile enchantment, sorcerer."  
"Wait a second, you were the one who put the spell on her."  
"Fool! The fair Akane Tendo is a shy and demure maiden who feared the strength of our love. I merely freed her to express her true feelings for me!"  
*I think he actually believes that.* Ranma shook his head. "Go away Kuno, I've got better things to do than mess around with you."  
"HAAA!" Kuno yelled as he jumped forward, slashing downward as though to cut Ranma in half. Ranma sidestepped the attack, then the upward slash that followed. Kuno initiated a flurry of thrusts and slashes, which Ranma calmly avoided. Then Ranma stepped in close to smash a kick into Kuno's midriff.  
"You're a hell of a lot worse at magic." Ranma turned and walked around the school building. There was a splash and a very feminine "HEY!"  
"Hold, Ranma Saotome!" Kuno screamed as he stormed around the corner, stopping at the sight of the wet-haired girl who was glaring angrily up at the windows on the second floor. "My goddess of thunder!" He pulled out a bouquet of roses.  
"Kuno," Ranma said angrily. "When will you just go away?"  
"Take this!" Kuno proclaimed, rushing forward.  
Ranma raised her hands defensively, then realized that Kuno had dropped a bouquet of roses on her arms. Awkwardly she looked at them, feeling for any sort of magic. *Nada, what's he playing at?*  
"Pigtailed thunder goddess, I love you," Kuno declared as he turned and walked around the corner.  
*HUH?* He looked at the roses he was holding, then with a shudder tossed them away. "Jeez." Ranma turned and walked down the side of the building returning to class.  
Around the corner Kuno stood leaning against the building, arms folded in what he saw as a manly posture.  
{"Kuno Sempai, wait!" the pigtailed girl from the pool cried as she rounded the corner.  
Kuno turned to look at her, "Beauteous one."  
"Kuno, the moment I saw you; I fell in love with you!"}  
His face distorted in a lecherous grin, Kuno laughed to himself. Composing himself and running a quick comb through his hair, he settled back to his wait. *Ah she is shy and needs to prepare herself to face me. Fear not my beauty, I can wait.*  
  
"I cannot believe that jerk made a pass at me," Ranma commented with a shudder. He glanced at Akane who was walking besides him.  
"That stupid jerk's capable of anything."  
"Besides, you do make a pretty hot-looking girl." Nabiki added in an amused tone from behind them. "Still are you sure neither of you hit him or anything? He wasn't in any of the afternoon classes."  
  
Kuno stood by the school building. He glanced up at the night sky, the myriad stars shining in the blackness. "Alas, so fierce in battle yet so timid in the ways of the heart."  



	3. Chapter 3

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.  
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brendan@wiltonnewyork.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://www.wiltonnewyork.com/Brendan  
--------  
  
Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts  
By Brendan O'Donnell  
Chapter 3  
  
Ranma stood in a large white room eyeing the glowing blue glyphs covering one wall. Holding his hands over them, he spoke in a tongue mixing Latin and Egyptian with languages that were ancient during the great melting of the ice when the sphinx was shaped. The glow faded leaving a white wall. Ranma lowered his hands with a sigh and nodded to himself.  
"Done." Walking to the center he knelt by the box he had carried from the Ancient One's temple. He clapped his hands together, and rubbed them a moment before extending his right over the silver disk in the center of the top. Chanting to himself, he brought slowly closed the fingers of his hand. The wax holding the disk in place evaporated, allowing it to float into Ranma's grasp.  
With a contented nod, Ranma put the disk down beside the box. Beginning a different chant he traced his right forefinger along the edge of the lid. He spiraled the digit inward to rest in the center. The paper charms ignited with purple flame, and were gone in an instant.  
"That's that," Ranma commented as he calmly took the lid off the box.  
  
"Akane, have you seen Ranma?"  
"I think he went up to the attic, Kasumi."  
"Oh. Would you please tell him dinners ready?"  
"Ok," Akane responded to her sister as she walked to the stairs to the attic.  
  
"Ranma, Kasumi wanted me to tell..." her voice trailed off as she refocused all her attention on studying the enormous room that she knew had not been there two days ago. "you..."  
"Akane?" Ranma responded, turning to stare at her. "How'd you get in here?"  
"I... Kasumi... What have you done to our attic!?"  
"Calm down I haven't done anything to your attic. I folded a small pocket dimension with some help from the local spirits. A little manipulation with the entry spell and no one'll be able to enter without permission." He looked at her closely. "You shouldn't have been able to find your way in anyway."  
"Ah, what do you mean?"  
"I'll have to check later but successfully opening the entry is probably an indication of a fair amount of untapped magic ability in you."  
Akane blinked. "You mean I can do magic?"  
"No, you can learn. If I knew more myself I might consider offering to teach you. But the Ancient One would probably get mad if I tried anything."  
"Ranma, Akane." Kasumi's voice called up the stairs.  
"Ah, just a minute!" Ranma called back. He picked up a small paper charm. "Just need..." he commented to Akane as he reached out and plucked a hair off her head.  
"OW! What do you think you're doing!"  
"Prevention," Ranma responded as he folded the charm around the hair. He then opened a small box and dropped it in. "Just a protective charm in case Kuno tries something else."  
  
"Hey, what do you suppose is going on?" Ranma asked as he saw a large group of students assembled in the courtyard before the high school.  
"Oh no not again!" Akane commented in a disgusted tone. She glanced up at the clock tower. "It's Kuno's fault, before that spell he told everyone that anyone who beat me in a fight could go out with me, and so every day I had to fight this bunch of perverted jerks before school!" She glanced at the clock again. "ARRR, they're gonna make me late!"  
"Not this time." Ranma took two running steps and leaped, crossing the remaining distance to land about fifteen feet before the school gate. He centered his breathing, and gathered his mystic power.  
"What's he doing?!" Akane asked as she ran up to his side.  
Ranma raised one hand before him, his first and last fingers outstretched.  
"Wheel of Bromogden, Power of the Sage.  
Entrance now this mob and silence their rage!"  
As he spoke something shimmered in the air before his hand, like a barely visible wheel, that grew with each word. The students in the courtyard relaxed their combative stances and looked quietly at Ranma.  
"You'll be late for class," Ranma said quietly. The former mob turned their heads in unison to look at the clock.  
"OH Damn! Look at the time!"  
"Ah! I don't want to have to stand in the hall!"  
"The vice principal said he'd call my folks if I was late again!"  
As one they charged into the school at a run.  
"I can fight my own battles you know!" Akane commented angrily as she stalked past where Ranma stood, just lowering his hand.  
Ranma glanced at her with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. "Sorry, next time I'll let you be late!"  
  
Kuno stood on top of the clock tower. "The fair Akane Tendo." He continued gazing at the front gates a moment. "Yet where is the Pigtailed goddess?"  
  
"Nabiki Tendo!" Kuno sat facing the middle Tendo daughter.  
Nabiki looked at Kuno with an expression of distaste, then opened her bento and focused her attention on beginning lunch.  
Kuno slammed his fist on the table. "Look at me woman! You must tell me who that red-haired girl is!"  
"Must?" Nabiki looked him in the eye. "I don't value many things, but my sisters happen to be at the top of the list. You'll have to go somewhere else if your interested in anything that could compromise Akane's happiness."  
"How can she know happiness while she denies her love for me?"  
Nabiki took a moment to look at him with an ice-cold half-lidded glare.  
"What I want from you has nothing to do with your fair sister who I shall again date with when she is free of Saotome's foul magic. I simply want to know about the pigtailed goddess who appeared above the pool two days ago. Do you know anything?"  
Nabiki picked up her Bento and started eating.  
"Nabiki Tendo!" Kuno roared. Seeing no response, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick roll of thousand yen bills. He peeled five thousand yen off and placed it by Nabiki. She glanced at it and continued eating. Another five thousand joined it. Nabiki took a sip from her drink box.  
Nabiki put down her chopsticks and looked at the pile of fifty thousand yen on the table. She looked Kuno in the eye. "Money can't buy forgiveness. But you aren't asking me about Akane." She looked at the pile of yen again. Kuno added ten more thousand yen bills. "Ok, Ranma and the girl you're so interested in are the same person. One body, one soul, one mind."  
"That monster!" Kuno yelled as he stood and ran for the door.  
Nabiki looked after Kuno as he left the room. Sighing she shook her head. "Idiot's too mild a word."  
  
"Ieyasu Tokugawa." The teacher said as he wrote the name on the board. "Born..."  
"RANMA SAOTOME!" Kuno screamed as he kicked in the door to the classroom and charged inside.  
Ranma looked at Kuno charging at him, bokken raised high, and rose to his feet.  
Picking up the eraser, the teacher glanced back and hurled it. It slammed into Kuno's face, raising a cloud of dust and causing the kendoist to stumble against the wall. "In the hall, Kuno!"  
Kuno blinked the chalk dust out of his eyes and looked at the teacher. "Yes sir."  
The teacher turned to look at the class. "Sit down Saotome, class is in session."  
"But..."  
"In the hall!"  
With a sigh Ranma walked into the hallway.  
  
"Now vile sorcerer, for your crimes against the Pigtailed Goddess, no, for your crimes against all women! The Heavens themselves have chosen me to become the hand of divine vengeance!"  
"What are you babbling about?"  
Kuno raised himself to his full height and pointed his bokken at Ranma with his right hand. "Your crime is hidden no longer. Nabiki Tendo has revealed that you have claimed the Beauteous thunder goddess's mind and body! Now I shall make you release her!" Kuno took a step forward, and raised his left hand to take a two handed grip on the bokken.  
"Hold it Kuno, the girl you're ranting about doesn't really exist. A year ago I was accidentally cursed to turn into a girl at times."  
"Hah! You cannot stave off your defeat with unlikely stories and vile magic this time Sorcerer!"  
"You are an idiot, aren't you."  
"Enough talk!" Kuno charged forward, filling the air before him with a flurry of thrusting attacks.  
Ranma raised his arms, crossing his wrists before him, first and last fingers of his fists extended.  
Kuno's thrusts suddenly rebounded off an unseen barrier between him and Ranma. The force pushed him back a step, then narrowing his eyes, Kuno set his feet and refocused his attack against the shield Ranma had erected. He smiled as he felt his blows begin to force the barrier back.  
Ranma extended his right hand.  
"To quell this foolish raging act,  
Come Crimson bands of Cyttorak!"  
Something looking like a large red ribbon passed through the shield between Ranma and Kuno. Kuno had time to attempt one thrust at it before he was snared more tightly than the time he had lost a fight with a Martial Arts Giftwraper. (Who Kuno still claimed had only beaten him with magic powers received from selling his soul to Santa Claus.)  
"What! Vile Santaist, I shall not yield to..."  
Ranma gestured and Kuno floated out the window. "Shut up Kuno." Another gesture extended a crimson streamer to loop round Kuno's mouth. "Now I want you to listen." Ranma looked Kuno in the eye. "I am a true sorcerer, but unlike you I do not use my magic to control other people. I'm going to release you in a moment, but first let me give you a little warning. You're an amateur, so I'll tolerate some foolishness from you, but if you push me too far you'll force me to take action." He looked at Kuno, then with a gesture moved him over the pool, where the bands instantly dissolved.  
Ranma braced himself against the wall a moment, then pushed himself upright took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. "I guess I'll have to think up something to do if he keeps this up."  
  
Shan's astral body floated through the air above Nerima, contemplating the city, especially the building far beneath. "That shield looks pretty good Ranma. I could break it if I dared move openly, but I can't let the Ancient One know of my true allegiance. I am the unseen hand of the fourth Baron of Mordo." He drifted down and circled a block away from the Tendo home. "A shame, I might have been able to convince Genma to help me again." He felt the mystic aura of the area. "A potent nexus of mystic forces. He really lucked out. Eh?" Turning Shan redirected his attention toward a slim thread of mystic power, which struck at the barrier around the Tendo home, dissipating on contact.  
  
"Ranma Saotome! I shall not rest until I have freed Akane Tendo and the fire-hared thunder goddess from your unwholesome grip!" Tatewaki Kuno looked at the small pile of old leather bound tomes on the table before him and laughed. "Soon Ranma Saotome, soon." He laughed louder, then stopped, closing his eyes as his head rolled backward. Shan's astral body leaned through Kuno to look at the books he was studying.  
"You should really thank me, you know. Whatever reason you have for hating Saotome, you'll want better revenge than a half-botched curse of dandruff. Let's see." With a gesture, Shan started the pages slowly turning in the tome Kuno had been studying. "Not too advanced, but there are a few good spells here." He opened and looked through another book. "Hmm, nothing too challenging in itself, but if I could get this guy to combine them . . ." With a quick gesture, Shan moved a notepad and inkset onto the desk. He held his hand over Kuno's a moment, then allowed it to sink into the arm, which then rose, picked up the brush and began to write.  
  
Akane sat beneath the tree, looking up at the branches. "I wonder where Kuno is," she commented as she opened her lunch. Glancing at Ranma and Nabiki she added, "After what he did, I'm not sure I trust him when he's not where I can see him."  
"I wouldn't worry if I were you," Ranma commented as he began paused from devouring his own lunch. "I'm not sure where he got the books but from what I saw I should be able to counter anything he tries to come up with."  
"A-Actually he got the books from me," A voice spoke up from beside the tree. Pivoting their heads, the three saw a very frail looking boy with darkly shadowed eyes and a nervous expression. "I-I'm Hikaru Gosenkugi. Don't worry if you don't remember me, no one does."  
"You mean you're responsible for the worst months of my life?!" Akane clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking ominously.  
"I-I'm very sorry, it wasn't my idea, but when he found out, and I was sure none of them would work, the way you kept hitting him..."  
"Calm down, both of you," Ranma said raising his hand. He looked at Gosenkugi. "You say Kuno got his spellbooks from you. Where did you get them?"  
"Well, I've sort of been picking up magic things for a few years now. I used to hope they'd keep bigger kids from picking on me, but I've only tried magic twice and both times it didn't work right."  
"And how does this lead to Kuno?" Nabiki asked.  
"Well, the second time I tried using something from the books, it was that time you agreed to sub for the Rhythmic Gymnastics team. You remember, Kodachi..." Looking at Akane's scowl, he continued, "Well, I tried to use one of the spells from the book to distract her before the fight so she wouldn't try to ambush you, but it didn't work at all right..."  
"Well she didn't try to ambush Akane," Nabiki commented.  
"Well no, but the spell was supposed to... Well it's not important. After that we started getting together from time to time. We aren't going out, I'm not what she's looking for in a boyfriend and she's not... We just talk." He sighed and shook his head. "Anyway, Kuno learned that I had the books and decided that they should go to 'The chosen of the heavens.' And I didn't want him to hit me so I let him have them." He looked at Akane with an embarrassed expression. "I'm sorry, I was thinking of telling you about what was happening when I learned he tried something on you, but you kept hitting him, so I thought maybe I wouldn't need to."  
"And is that confession all you came here about?" Nabiki asked.  
"No, I wanted to warn you that Kodachi told me that Kuno's not in school because last night he was doing something with the books till he collapsed right before sunrise. I just wanted you to know."  
Akane looked at him. She smiled. "Thanks, I guess I'll forgive you for helping Kuno, but don't let it happen again!"  
A smile covering his face, Gosenkugi bowed, declaring, "Thank you, I'll be good!" *She smiled at me! I can die happy now.*  
  
As the final class of the day ended, Ranma put his books away and rose to his feet.  
"Hey isn't that Kuno?"  
Ranma stood and walked to the window. Kuno was indeed walking through the gates, tightly griping a bokken with both hands. Ranma frowned and looked closer at the bokken. The wood was discolored, darkened to a hue similar to dried blood. The back of the blade was covered with a series of knife marks, forming a series of clumsily carved runes. Gathering his magic senses, Ranma examined the jumble of spells permeating the weapon and its wielder. His eyes widened in surprise. "That idiot!"  
  
"Saotome! Come out and face the wrath of the heavens!" Kuno screamed. Raising his bokken, he slashed at one of the trees, which was shattered by an shimmering force projecting from the attack. "Where are you sorcerer!"  
"Here!" Opening the classroom window Ranma calmly hopped out and dropped to land lightly on his feet.  
Kuno looked at him and scowled, hardening his unkempt face. "Ranma! I offer you one last chance, release the pigtailed goddess and I shall spare your life!"  
"I'm not the one whose life's in danger, Kuno. And I am not keeping anyone a prisoner."  
"Enough talk!" Kuno stepped forward, slashing downward with his bokken. Ranma jumped aside as an unseen force smashed into the wall he had been standing in front of. Kuno charged foreword, slashing up toward the descending Ranma, who halted ten feet in the air and floated leisurely back.  
"Coward!" Kuno screamed as he began to furiously attack the sky. "Come down and face me!"  
  
"What's wrong with Kuno?" Akane asked from the window where she was watching the fight.  
Nabiki glanced at her sister then looked back at the fight. "What do you... mean," she trailed off as she concentrated her attention on Kuno, who she realized was looking increasingly haggard and worn as she watched. "Wait, Kuno doesn't get tired this quick, and even after those time he'd worked himself to exhaustion he never looked this bad."  
  
*Not good.* Ranma thought as he looked down at Kuno. Looping back to avoid the latest attack, he unleashed a fast mystic bolt as he soared downward.  
"Hah!" Kuno proclaimed as he struck the mystic bolt with his bokken, shattering the attack. "Now it ends!" He drew his bokken to his side, gathering his strength.  
Ranma touched the ground, then with a quick spin leaped away from the site where he had landed, along with two other Ranmas jumping in three different directions. Each of the Ranmas landed, spun and leaped away in three directions as well. One more jump brought the nine Ranmas together.  
Kuno paused, looking from Ranma to Ranma.  
The Ranmas raised their arms and spoke in a single voice.  
"No mystic force that man may wield,  
Shall shatter Seraphim's bright shield!"  
With a scream, Kuno charged at the Ranmas, lashing out with the fast thrusts he had used against Ranma the day before. The shield before the Ranmas became visible as blow after blow hammered into it. One thrust penetrated the shield, and struck a Ranma who dissipated into nothing. A second later another false Ranma faded away. "You shall fall Ranma Saotome!"  
"YAAH!" Ranma screamed as he appeared to Kuno's right and stepped in, smashing a quick palm strike into Kuno's hands. The bokken flew through the air to imbed itself in the school wall.  
Kuno pivoted, his hollow face raging. "Ranma Sao..." He trailed off as he collapsed.  
Ranma exhaled loudly as he let his illusionary doubles fade into nothingness. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to keep his footing as the world pivoted for a moment. Then he knelt down and rolled Kuno onto his back. Moving his hands over the kendoist's form, he invoked the Mists of Morpheus to aid his final spell. Then he collapsed onto his back.  
  
"Are you ok?" Akane asked as she knelt by Ranma.  
Ranma opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I'm fine, just enjoying the nice weather."  
"Damn it, what were you playing at! If you know it would do that to you..."  
"I couldn't see any alternative. Well, just one illusion might have been enough, but what's done is done."  
"That's not good enough." Nabiki responded as she walked over to join her sister. "Kuno's an amateur as you said, so why didn't you just use your professional strength magic to take him out?"  
Ranma sighed and closed his eyes. "Because I wanted to stop him not kill him."  
"Kill?" Akane said in a meek tone.  
"The mix of spells he had linked to his bokken were linked to him and everything was powered by his life energy. If I had just used a directed counterspell, the defensive enchantment would have drained him into a lifeless husk fighting it. The only option was to physically get his bokken away from him. Before he depleted his life energy flailing away looking for me or trying to hurt me."  
"Will he be alright?"  
"I cast a small healing spell, he'll sleep for a few days and when he's awake again he'll have recovered the life energy he depleted fighting me."  
"I hadn't expected you to be so into Kuno's wellbeing," Nabiki commented with a smirk.  
"Hmph. Just because he's a jerk doesn't mean I want to see him hurt," Akane responded with a scowl.  
Taking a deep breath, Ranma pulled himself to his feet. The world shifted a moment, then felt firm again. *Ok, first to put a wrap on that bokken, then I've gotta carry Kuno here home. Ah, the perils of being a compassionate sorcerer.*  
  
Ranma dropped the four books on an empty shelf recessed into his sanctum's walls. "Hopefully this'll make sure Kuno doesn't get in over his head again." He took out a piece of paper, and unwrapped it to glance at the black hairs inside. "But it doesn't hurt to make sure." He rewrapped the hair and set it down by the books. "Well tomorrow I'll make sure."  
Turning from the shelf, Ranma walked to the center of his sanctum and sat in a casual lotus position. He sighed tiredly. "Well, at least I've got some motivation to use the ambient power rather than taping myself." He closed his eyes and began breathing in a focused controlled manner, his hands raised to cup a non-existent object at chest level. Half a minute later his eyes snapped open.  
His eyes focused in total concentration he floated two feet into the air. He moved his hands slightly as he manipulated the mystical energy to cause a set of five rubber balls on a table rise and begin orbiting him along five different paths. A quick hand motion expanded the orbit of two while calling the other three to dance a tight formation over his hand. Another gesture and two balls began to circle his arm while the third floated just over his finger and floated motionlessly. Another gesture gathered all five balls over his open palm. A slight twist of his wrist returned them to their original position.  
With a slight grimace, he glanced toward the shelf he had built to hold the scrolls the Ancient One had given him. "Well, time for the most exciting part of the day."  
Ranma was not a scholar by nature. Or more accurately, he had an impressive affinity for learning, but had never seen any purpose to learning anything besides Martial Arts until the day he became the Ancient One's pupil. He had hated studying the scrolls at first, and only pursued his studies out of a stubborn refusal to let anything stop him from learning Magic. Over the months, his attitude changed somewhat, though his same stubbornness prevented him from acknowledging it.  
Ranma picked up the scroll and opened it. Anticipating being able to take a small nap before Kasumi served dinner, he began to read as fast as he could while still reading every word.  
He paused and reread a line. "Wait isn't that." Ranma read the passage again more slowly. "Ah, so that was the Sumerian name." He resumed reading.  
"Hmm," Looking up Ranma raised a hand, and with a slight motion levitated a second scroll to him. Opening it he scanned down the paper till he found a section which he examined, comparing it to the first scroll. "Yes, that could be it." He refolded the new scroll and resumed his study of the first.  
  
"Ranma, dinner!"  
Ranma looked to the entry to the sanctum, from which Kasumi's voice reverberated. He glanced down at his watch. "Aw, man." Refolding the scroll, he levitated himself a few feet higher into the air, unfolded his legs and canceled the spell, dropping him lightly to the floor. "Lost track of the time again."  



	4. Chapter 4

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.  
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.  
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brendan@wiltonnewyork.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://www.wiltonnewyork.com/Brendan  
--------  
  
Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts  
By Brendan O'Donnell  
Chapter 4  
  
A ragged figure shrouded in a brown cloak stood by the wall surrounding Furinkan High School. He looked at the name, then pivoted and sat, resting against the wall. "I wonder if I'll ever find him?" He closed his eyes.  
From inside behind the walls came the cry, "Ranma!"  
His eyes snapped open as he shot to his feet, pivoted and jumped over the wall, throwing his cloak aside as he leaped.  
  
"Your foul magics shall not hold me back this time sorcerer!" Kuno proclaimed as he strode forward, garlic bulbs draped around his neck and strung along his arms and legs. "Today I shall vanquish you and rescue. . ." His speech ended as Ranma stepped through his defenses and kicked him in the head. "That didn't hurt," Kuno commented before falling back unconscious.  
"Idiot," Ranma commented as he turned and walked away from the Kendoist. A shadow fell across him, and every sense screamed danger. Looking up he saw a figure outlined against the sun, a large Chinese style umbrella raised over his head.  
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" The figure screamed as he dropped to earth, smashing the umbrella into the spot Ranma had jumped away from. The force of the blow tore a crater into the earth out to ten feet from the umbrella strike. "Heh, it's been a while, but you're as good at dodging as I remember."  
Ranma looked. His challenger was about the same age as him, similar height though with a somewhat broader frame. He was wearing a yellow and brown outfit, a large dusty backpack and a yellow and black headband. Ranma looked at him. He raised his hand to stroke his chin. "HMM."  
"What, do you actually have the gall to pretend you don't remember me?!"  
"Just a second, I know I didn't meet you in Tibet, and I've really had a lot on my mind." Ranma responded. He raised his hand, touching two fingers to his forehead, and began gathering his magic energy.  
"A whim, a thought, and more is sought  
Awake my mind..."  
  
With a snarl his opponent strode forward a pace and screamed, "Just tell me why you didn't show for our fight!"  
  
Ranma halted his chant and let the magic dissipate. "Of course, Ryouga Hibiki!" he proclaimed, tapping the side of his fist into his palm. "I haven't seen you since Dad pulled me out of St. Jude's. How've you been?"  
Ryouga blinked at the sight of Ranma's suddenly cheerful face, then bared his fangs in a snarl. "Because of you I've seen hell!" With a snap of his wrist he opened his red umbrella and tossed it at Ranma.  
Ranma casually leaned out of the way of the projectile, then leaned to the other side as it reversed direction and flew past him to Ryouga's waiting hand. "What did I do to you?"  
"Have you forgotten how you ran from our last duel like the coward you are?!"  
The left side of Ranma's face twitched. "I stood there waiting for three days!"  
"But when I arrived on the fourth day you had fled to China!"  
Ranma shook his head. "This all happened over a year and a half ago. Besides our duel was in that vacant lot 100 feet down the street from your house."  
"Honor doesn't have time limits! I'm going to follow you to the ends of the earth and destroy your every happiness, even if it takes the rest of my life!"  
  
Ranma shifted his eyes to look behind his opponent. From the ground had risen an astral form resembling a man shrouded from head to toe, except for the eyes. The white on white eyes could never have belonged on any human face. Another flew down from the sky and the two looked at each other before flying away in opposing directions.  
  
"Don't you dare ignore me!" Ryouga screamed, raising his umbrella to charge at Ranma.  
Ranma's focus snapped back to Ryouga, and he raised his hands and deepened his stance. The perfect posture to take an attack like Ryouga's.  
Ryouga drew back his right arm, tightening his grip on his umbrella.  
Ranma suddenly moved forward, just to the left of Ryouga's path.  
Snarling Ryouga twisted his upper body as he slowed his advance. Ranma's suddenly extended leg tapped his own, knocking him to the ground in a rolling sprawl.  
Ryouga threw himself off the ground and dropped into a defensive stance of his own. He scowled as he saw Ranma glancing at the sky. "I'm not going to let you get away with it!"  
Ryouga jumped into a flying kick, which Ranma pivoted to avoid. Ryouga turned as he landed and lashed out with a fast umbrella slash that Ranma ducked under. Ryouga advanced, alternating kicks and punches. Ranma avoided them while backing away. Ryouga smiled as he saw the school building loom just behind Ranma. With a scream he sped his advance, striking with his umbrella.  
Ranma suddenly dropped, and with a low kick and simultaneous rising punch threw Ryouga through the window into the classroom behind him.  
  
Ryouga came to his feet and charged forward, jumping through the windows before him. He looked for Ranma, but saw only the school hallway. "Damn!" he proclaimed as he began running down the corridor. "I'm not letting it end like this! I'm going to find my way out of here and finish it Ranma!"  
  
Ranma looked into the broken school window and waited, listening to the fading crashing sounds. "So much for that," He commented, shrugging his shoulders and turning away from the school building.  
Akane walked up to him. "Ranma, who was that? I can't believe he'd just decide to leave like that."  
"He got lost. He has the worst sense of direction of anyone I know." He glanced at the sky with a pensive frown. "I gotta go." One running jump and he bounced off the top of the school wall and began to leap from rooftop to rooftop.  
Akane scowled. "What is wrong with him?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw something moving by her. Pivoting her head she looked. For an instant she thought there was a transparent ninja floating next to her, but it was gone as she focused on it. "What's wrong with me?" she said, shaking her head momentarily.  
  
Two of the spectral forms floated around him, gazing, then they turned and floated away. "Not looking for me it seems," Ranma commented as he strengthened his levitation and looked more carefully. "But they're definitely looking for someone. And someone with magic considering how they reacted to my levitation spell." He considered the motions of the wraiths a moment, then floated to the street.  
"If I'm right . . ." Ranma began to run through the street.  
  
An hour later, Ranma paused and looked at a tall gaijin in a blue suit. The figure shifted his hat and ducked into an alleyway. Ranma followed his gaze and spotted a pair of the searching wraiths. *Yes, looks like we both read that search pattern the same way.* A quick sprint brought him into the alley behind the mysterious foreigner, who was staring down a group of five ragged looking locals.  
One of the toughs started casually spinning a chain, another dramatically unfolded a butterfly knife. Ranma felt the echoes of power that went with the beginning of channeling the power of an artifact beneath the stranger's coat. He stepped past him and raised a hand. "Allow me."  
The knife-wielding tough stepped forward gesturing with his weapon. "You'd better stay out of this if you don't want to get hurt."  
Ranma looked at him. His eyes drifted to the rest of the gang, casually appraising each. He took a step forward, his hand shot out in a palm strike to the knife wielders chest, throwing him into the back of the alley. He jumped a short distance further, pivoting at the end to smash the chain wielder and another thug into the wall with a single circular kick. He paused to clench his fists and look at the remaining would be attackers. They turned and ran.  
Ranma nodded his head and turned to look at the man he had saved. He blinked as he looked. "Dr. Strange?"  
"Yes, Ranma was it not?"  
"Ranma Saotome. Why are you in Tokyo, what are those . . ."  
"They are the servants of Baron Mordo. A few hours ago he attacked the Ancient One and me, and the Ancient One is still recovering. Somehow Mordo has gained incredible powers, and unless I can find a way to defeat him, he could well succeed in usurping the position of Sorcerer Supreme." He tugged down the rim of his hat and hunched over as a wraith passed through the walls over them. "Come." He gestured and started down the alley, Ranma followed, remembering his first meeting with Dr. Strange.  
  
Flashback:  
Ranma sat in a classic Lotus position before the Ancient Ones throne. Raising his hands before his body he closed his eyes and centered his breathing. He could feel the magic flowing around him and through him, feel it flowing to fill the patterns formed through his own will.  
"Do not loose your concentration." The Ancient One said quietly.  
Ranma let the comment pass over his mind. He let everything fade except for himself and the magic. He opened his eyes and rose a foot into the air with a thought.  
Suddenly there was a surge of Magic between him and the throne, a storm erupting from a hole torn open in Astral Space.  
As Ranma landed on the cushion and fell onto his side, an astral form emerged from the rift. It was the size of his father's Panda body, and covered entirely by an ornate looking armor.*  
ANCIENT ONE, I AM THE MESSANGER OF THE DREAD DORMAMMU. DORMAMU SHALL SOON ENTER THIS WORLD AND CLAIM IT AS HIS OWN.  
Ranma pulled himself to his feet, and circled the astral form contemplating what he had been told about such beings.  
"Sit and continue your lesson Ranma."  
Ranma dropped his hands and stared at the throne. "But Ancient One?"  
"This is a messenger. He offers no threat beyond the calamity of his message. And it is a calamity far beyond the scope of your understanding and ability; all you can do is continue to train while summon one who can accomplish this task." The Ancient One closed his eyes and raised his hands concentrating.  
Ranma looked at the Ancient One. For a second his focus was lost and there was only an old looking man before him. Then he restored his concentration and opened his perceptions beyond once again.  
Power swirled around the Ancient one rising like a storm. He gathered this power, then raising his hand released it, casually weaving the strands into a pattern of fantastic complexity. A twisting circle rose in the air, and from it fell a man, his long dark blue cloak unfurled behind him.  
He was taller than Ranma's father and slimmer, with a full head of black hair, streaked with pure white at the sides. His eyes instantly sought the Ancient One's throne. "I knew it!  
"But why did you summon me . . ." Turning his head he looked at the astral messenger. "What is this?"  
"A messenger. From by the Dread Dormammu!"  
"Dormammu! The most powerful of the dwellers of the realms of darkness! What does he . . ." the stranger's eyes shifted to focus on Ranma.  
Ranma blinked a moment, then bowed slightly. "Ranma Saotome. You must be Stephan Strange."  
"I am. I wish there was time to say more."  
"I fear there is not." The Ancient One said, breathing a quiet sigh resonating with all his long years. "The Dread Dormammu threatens to leave the Dark Realm and enter our world. But this must not be!  
"His powers are to great! His ways are to alien! Yet I am too aged, too weary to stop him."  
"Say no more Master! I will confront the Dread Dormammu!"  
"Remember my son, he is like no foe you have ever fought before! It is truly said that in all the universe there is none so to compare to the Dread Dormammu! Even I at the height of my power was unable to defeat him! If you should fail, there can be no help for you."  
"There is too much at stake! I dare not fail!"  
The Ancient One looked at Stephan Strange and smiled slightly. "So be it then." He raised his hand and gathered his energy once again.  
"By the Shades of the Seraphim  
In the name of the All Seeing Agamotto  
I dispatch thee to the Domain of the Dread Dormammu!"  
End Flashback.  
  
*And we didn't have that much time to talk after he made it back. Why am I even here? If he can't beat Mordo I can't possibly be strong enough to do anything about it. Not yet. Still, there has to be something other than strength I can offer. Some way . . .* "Strange."  
"You have an idea?"  
"Maybe, Teleportation's beyond me and too draining and conspicuous for you, but can you control a sub-pocket rift?"  
Dr. Strange raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, with the Eye of Agamotto I can indeed, but such rifts are not easy to bring forth."  
"Not normally, but a resonance between Ragadore and my curse . . ."  
"Could kill you if you make one mistake. I can avoid the wraiths and reach America on an airplane."  
"You can't be sure of that. This is faster and you have to finish this! We've both sworn the same oaths. To this world and all who live on her."  
Dr Strange looked at Ranma for a moment, then sighed. "Very well. I cannot refuse your offer."  
"Good. I'll need a few things at my sanctum, then. . . Hmm, there's a vacant lot I can see from the roof, you can wait there and that's where I'll project the rift."  
"Just give me the directions." Dr. Strange responded.  
  
Ranma pulled a scroll from its alcove, and opened it, looking at the contents. "Thrrstrmh, wxytzz, yes." Turning to another shelf he opened a box and pulled out a large amethyst gemstone. "This should work as a focus." Turning his head, he walked to one blank wall and rested his hand against it a moment. Then he pushed and a section of the wall split and swung open. He stepped through onto the roof of the Tendo House.  
  
Dr. Strange leaned against the wall on the street just outside the vacant lot Ranma had directed him to. He carefully kept his aura hidden as two wraiths met four feet above the street in front of him. The wraiths heads suddenly snapped to look down the street, drawn by the power Ranma was invoking. The pair turned to fly to the disturbance they felt. Dr. Strange turned to walk into the lot, deliberately ignoring the wraiths that were suddenly flying over his head on their way toward Ranma.  
  
"...By the Rings of Ragadore!" Ranma was floating a foot above the Tendo Roof, the amethyst gemstone floating before him, it's pale facets glowing with the power it was now the focus of.  
Ranma extended both arms straight to the sides.  
"Thrrstrmh!"  
He shifted his hands so that the thumb touched the middle two fingers leaving the outer pair outstretched.  
"Dyvryha!" Winds began to rise around him, stirring his hair.  
"Nyanichuan!"  
Ranma's body suddenly shrank, flowing into the female form it had first assumed almost a year ago.  
"Wxytzz!"  
Energy began to crackle in an aura surrounding her, a mix of red and blue arcing about her body. The gem also began to glow brighter, small motes of purple and black surrounding it.  
"Jusenkyo!" Ranma swung her arms to the front. The red and blue power around Ranma began to gather between her now open palms, arcing toward the gem who's aura was beginning to move toward Ranma's own Aura.  
"AAAAAAAHHH!!" Ranma unleashed her gathered aura at the gem. The gem's aura contracted as the red and blue began to wrap it, then the power burst forth in every shade of purple. From this storm of colors shot a beam of energy, red blue and purple braided together. The beam struck in the center of the vacant lot. For a moment the colors arced around the impact site, then everything was drawn back to that point. Streaks of white and black crackled around the spot, then reality cracked.  
  
Dr. Strange looked at the power swirling in the center of the vacant lot, a maelstrom of color sinking to a single point and streaming from that point at once. Then the swirling power suddenly imploded, Ragged streaks of gray and rainbow cracking in the space where the vortex had raged. *There* He gathered his power and opened the Eye of Agamatto which hung around his neck.  
  
All the wraiths in the area had swarmed around the Tendo Dojo, looking at Ranma feeling her magic, deciding that she wasn't their quarry. Then as one they stiffened and pivoted toward the lot. Like a swarm they flew toward the light of Dr. Strange's amulet.  
  
The light from his amulet struck into the rift squarely. With a motion of his hands and a precise shifting of mystical energy, Dr. Strange transformed the center of the rift into a portal to his destination. He jumped. Beneath his jacket, the folded Cloak of Levitation accelerated him through the portal like a bullet.  
Ranma saw Dr. Strange leave seconds before the wraiths arrived. "Yes!" She quietly proclaimed in a ragged voice.  
  
The wraiths circled around the vacant lot where their true quarry had stood moments ago. Unsure of what to do they contacted their master.  
  
Ranma levitated the crystal into her hands. Every facet of the gemstone was covered with cracks. As it touched her hand it crumbled into a pile of dust. "So much for that."  
Her danger sense screamed a warning. Responding she looked at the wraiths milling about the empty lot. Suddenly they turned, gazing at her with their inhuman eyes. As one they rose and flew at her. "Uh Oh." *Damn there's no way I can handle so many right after opening that rift! There has to be something. . .* Her eyes drifted to the seven shaded dusts in her hands.  
"By Hogoths hand all white with hoar  
Another power I summon forth"  
With a quick gesture, Ranma released the gem dust in her hands, and spread her arms to the sides.  
"In this my hour of rising need  
I craft the Rings of Ragadore!"  
The sparkling cloud of dust began to swirl around Ranma, the seven shades of dust coalescing. Ranma shifted her hands once again, her thumbs touching the two middle fingers, her outer fingers outspread. Before both hands two spirals of dust glowed, bringing forth an indigo ring before her right hand and a midnight black ring before her left.  
Ranma moved her arms, the small rings remaining before them, then she gestured toward the onrushing wraiths. The rest of the dust coalesced into five irregular rings orbiting her form. "Haa!" Two of the rings surrounding her lined up before the black ring, the three forming a cone. A distortion formed within the cone and moved at the incoming wraiths. The six leading the group were knocked back. The wraiths paused a moment, then began circling Ranma.  
*Ok, I have a weapon, but it's not strong enough to do more than slow them.* The wraiths circled her, coming closer with every pass. She gestured and the circling rings expanded, knocking back three wraiths that had advanced to arms length. Suddenly the wraiths floated back away from her, coming to a halt in a wide semicircle.  
*Uh-Oh* Ranma thought as she looked at the Astral form now floating leisurely toward him. This was the projection of a human sorcerer. A human sorcerer who's incredible power Ranma could easily sense. He was a few inches shorter than Dr. Strange had been, and a little older looking, the lines in his face offsetting the pure black of his cleanly trimmed beard.  
"I am Baron Mordo. You have aided my enemy. But if you tell me where he has gone I will be merciful and leave you in peace."  
Ranma looked over her opponent. Options began circulating through her mind. "I only opened the rift, I didn't ask where he was going to shift it too."  
Her adversary's face hardened. "You need to learn how to properly address your betters."  
"I didn't call you a senile old lard-belly did I?"  
With a scowl the sorcerer extended a hand, and casually launched a Bolt of Bedevilment at Ranma.  
Using two rings to focus a shield, Ranma dodged as fast as she could. The bolt punched through the shield, clipping her left arm. She glanced down at the blood that was slowly seeping from the shallow gash just below her shoulder. *Not good.*  
"You have delayed the Fourth Baron of Mordo for long enough." He floated in toward Ranma.  
Ranma gathered her strength, then when Mordo was a foot beyond arms length, Ranma gestured. The seven rings came together, and resonated with power Ranma fed to them. A second later they surged at Baron Mordo like a wall.  
Mordo floated on unconcerned and let the wall shatter against his personal defenses. Then he frowned as he saw a dozen Ranma's flying away from him in different directions. He raised his right hand.  
  
*Let this work, let this work . . .* Ranma thought as she speed away with as much speed as she could muster. Then a mystic binding snapped into place on all four limbs, pulling her to a stop.  
"Well played child." Mordo commented as he pivoted Ranma in midair. "But ultimately futile. Now are you prepared to give up your folly? Or must I take what I want by force."  
"I'll bet your used to that considering what an ugly face you have attached to that flabby body AAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!" Ranma was cut of as dark power began to circulate from the bonds, awakening every pain receptor in her body.  
"You will tell me where Stephan Strange is."  
"D-drop d-dead!"  
Mordo paused, and glanced slightly aside.  
Ranma suddenly felt something, like she was in the presence of a power beyond any of her dreams.  
Mordo looked Ranma in the eyes, then brought up his spectral hands to grasp the sides of her head.  
"GGRRRRRHHHHH!!!!" Ranma screamed as she felt a thousand ice cold needles stab into her mind. Deeper and deeper they dug, tearing from memory to memory. Suddenly they withdrew. Ranma let her head slump foreword because she couldn't focus the will or strength to prevent it. She saw Mordo scowling before her as though through a fog. His voice echoed into her ears.  
"Waste my time like this." Mordo raised a hand, power dancing across his fingers. He paused, then made a dismissive gesture, dissolving the restraining force holding Ranma in the air.  
Ranma began to tumble. She saw the ground slowly moving up at her, felt the wind grasp at her with ever increasing strength. *Very High,* She thought, trying to force aside the numbness gripping her mind. Concentrating she channeled what little magic she could to slow her descent. A moment later she realized that she was actually falling faster from her efforts. *Mordo. Damn.* The ground was close and moving toward her at an incredible pace. Focusing her Chi as she had learned since she was five, Ranma braced herself for the impact. *This'll hurt.*  
She was right.  
  
Spikes of red agony shot through her eyes as Ranma forced them open. She gazed up at the multicolored ceiling, then as her vision cleared, she realized that it was actually white. Ignoring the protests of her neck, she raised her head enough to glance down at her sheet covered body.  
"Ranma?"  
Turning her eyes to follow the voice, Ranma looked at its source. "Akane, Where am I?" She tried to force herself into a siting position, then gave up and let herself lie down.  
"Don't try to move. This clinic belongs to Kasumi's boyfriend." She sighed.  
"Boyfriend?"  
"Well their practically engaged; when Dr. Tofu works up the nerve to ask Dad it'll definitely become official." Akane looked down at her lap. "I mean he was so in love with her that till a few months ago he went nuts anytime he saw her. And of course then he calmed down enough to actually ask her on a date, and now he doesn't go nuts as often, just when she holds his hand, or . . ."  
"Akane,"  
She looked at Ranma.  
"You like him don't you."  
Akane looked at Ranma, then looked down, griping her skirt. "I don't know. You know, Kuno cast that spell a week or two after Tofu and Kasumi started going out, and I've been too busy being mad about that to think of them.  
"Except when I see Kasumi going out and I know she's going on a date with Dr. Tofu; or now that I don't have the distractions."  
"I know a few things you might find distracting, if that'll help."  
"Wait. There's something you need to know. When I brought you in, I told Dr. Tofu about your curse, after all it might have had an effect on his treatment of you since you could sometimes change shape. . ."  
"You poured hot water on me and nothing happened, right?"  
"How did you know?"  
"I tapped the curse's magic to work a spell. Jusenkyo's extremely resilient, but it'll be a little out of whack for a time. Do you have any string?"  
"Well, just a second." She rose to her feet. "I know where Dr. Tofu keeps some."  
  
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Ranma," said a tall man in a brown Gi. He smiled cheerfully at Ranma.  
Ranma glanced up from her examination of the tightly wrapped bandage and splint immobilizing her left leg. "You must be Dr. Tofu. It's nice to meet you."  
"Here's your string, Oh, Dr. Tofu!" Akane glanced at the small ball of twine in her hand. "Oh, Ranma needed some string for something, I assumed you'd let him have some if he asked. . ."  
"Of course Akane, anything for your new Fiancee!"  
"We're not, I mean Dad. . ."  
"Don't worry, Kasumi told me about it. I've heard about sorcery but I thought everything was exaggeration."  
"Really," Ranma commented as he snapped a small length of string off the spool. He griped one end with both hands, then separated his hands, pulling the entire length of string taught between them. Then he brought his hands together, concentrated a moment and released, holding an unbroken circle of string with two fingers.  
"Oh yes, one of my instructors in college was good friends with an American doctor who became fairly well known as a sorcerer.  
Ranma paused and glanced at Dr. Tofu. "A doctor."  
"Oh yes, Sensei said he was the greatest neurosurgeon who ever lived until an accident left him unable to operate. Then four years ago he simply appeared in New York, claiming to have magical powers."  
*Ok, he's heard of Dr. Strange. Something to ponder later.* Ranma quickly doubled began looping the string on her fingers. Working by feel she formed a fast cats cradle. With a frown she altered the weave, and considered the threads.  
"Ranma?"  
She glanced at Akane. "Oh, it looks like I'll be stuck as a girl for about three days." Shaking her head she sighed.  
"Well you seem to be taking it very well." Dr. Tofu commented.  
Ranma glanced at him. "It's hard to stay mad about anything for a whole year. Besides I've studied this curse for a while so I'm real familiar with just how much it resists being changed." She scowled. "If I didn't know how hard it would be to lock me as a girl I'd be a lot less calm."  



	5. Chapter 4- Extension(No Ranma)

Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts  
By Brendan O'Donnell  
Chapter 4 appendium  
  
Note mostly retelling the story from Strange Tales183-187 in two appendiums to Chapters 4 and 5  
  
In a less used part of Central Park in New York City, a mugger was searching for his next victim. The part was quiet, and there was no one in sight. He adjusted his jacket as he felt a wind from behind him. Then he froze as he saw the trees in front of him lit up by a great light, heard a deep cracking sound reverberating behind him. He turned around and looked.  
On his knees in the path was a tall man in a blue suit with a matching hat. Shaking his head slightly he rose to his feet and looked the Mugger in the eye.  
The mugger felt a sense of confidence, then a flash of the same trepidation he had felt the time he had tried to attack SpiderMan. This time he listened to his reservations, and walked away.  
  
Stepping away from the Taxi, Dr. Strange looked up at his Sanctum Sanctorium. Frowning to himself he walked into an alley two buildings away from his home. Standing in a small alcove, he separated his astral body and carefully floated through the walls of his home.  
Peeking carefully through the floor, Strange saw a tall looking over a scroll in his sanctum. *As I suspected, Mordo has left one of his servants in case of my return.* His Astral body slipped back out of the house, and returned to his physical form. "I know I could overpower him easily, but the moment he sees me Mordo will know. I have to discover the source of his increased power before facing him again." Leaving the alley, he turned and walked away from his sanctum. Then he paused, glancing at the window of a nearby costume shop. "Hmm, yes, that might work."  
  
"DR. STRANGE!!" the costumed figure called as he pounded his fist on the door of the brownstone. "Come out Dr. Strange! I know your in there! I've come to challenge you! To match my magic powers against yours!" He was a middle-aged man, somewhat heavyset with a trimmed mustache and beard, and decked from head to foot in an extremely gaudy yellow and green costume, complete with cape.  
With a frown, Mordo's agent focused his attention on this intruder. "Some costumed oaf. I must dispose of him at once." With a gesture he opened the door from the street.  
Storming into the room, the yellow clad 'oaf' paused to look at Mordo's henchman. Taking in his forked beard, his purple and red outfit, he came to a stop. "Hey! Who are you?? You can't fool me! You're not Dr. Strange!"  
"Begone, witless one! There is no Dr. Strange within these confines! He has departed forever!"  
Pivoting the self proclaimed mage stormed away. "Bah! You cannot fool me! I know he's inside! I'm going to tell the newspapers what a fraud he is! What a coward he is!"  
*No! if he does that he could warn Dr. Strange away!* "Wait! Come Back!"  
Pivoting, the man in the yellow costume lashed out with a punch that knocked Mordo's agent to the ground. After double checking that his adversary was indeed unconscious, he rose and ran into the sanctum, pulling latex and a false beard off his face. As the disguise was thrown aside, Dr. Strange's features became clear. *I have just enough time. The Orb of Agamotto can show me the source of Mordo's increased power. And that knowledge may be my only hope against him!*  
Dr. Strange entered the shrouded chamber where the Orb of Agamotto rested, contained beneath a red metal dome on a pedestal with four eyes looking in four directions.  
"By all the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, I command thee, awesome Agamotto, let thine All-seeing eye open before me!"  
The metal dome rose, bathing Dr. Strange in it's pure light. "NO!" Dr. Strange froze to look at the black power becoming visible in the light of the orb before dissolving into nothingness. "It's a Trap! Mordo knows I'm here!"  
  
In his own sanctum Baron Mordo smiled as he contemplated the enchanted globe he before him. "See Dormammu? My plan has worked! Now that we know where he is, we can strike once again!"  
From his side, Dormamu spoke through the square portal he was using to connect with the Baron. "But heed my words! My Patience wears exceedingly thin! This time he must be destroyed! You must not fail!"  
Smirking arrogantly Mordo responded, "With your unearthly power added to my own, I cannot fail! And so Dread Dormammu, I turn to you again." Power radiated from the portal, flowing into Mordo like a raging torrent. "Ahhh, this time victory shall surely be ours!"  
  
In the Dark Dimension Dormammu contemplated Mordo as he flew across the world, moving with a speed that would make the fastest jets look sluggish. *Soon.* Dormammu thought. *Only the oath I swore to Doctor Strange prevents me from claiming that dimension. But once Strange is destroyed, that oath will protect it no longer!*  
Nearby a young looking woman with snow white hair looked at Dormammu's throne. She turned to the bald figure beside her. "Father, the dreaded one has sat thus motionless for Days! You are his closest disciple! What new, fantastic plan is he plotting?"  
"It is not safe to ask, my child! He shall tell us in his own good time!"  
She turned to look at Dormammu again. Thinking back to her brief encounter with Dr. Strange, she shuddered as she thought of how Dormammu had raged about his defeat. And how she had feared that he would seek a way around the oath Dr. Strange had invoked to protect her from his anger.  
  
Dr. Strange stood in his sanctum, discarding the last of his disguise and adjusting his cloak of levitation. "Mordo will be here any moment. And this time there is no where to run."  
"Indeed not Strange!" Mordo said as his body reformed from the sphere of energy his had become to cross the distance to New York. "There is no escape for you now."  
"This time I will stay and fight."  
"True but incomplete. You will also die!" Raising his hands Mordo fired off a quick burst of power that forced Dr. Strange back a step.  
Raising his hands Dr. Strange released a quick attack while opening his amulet to release the light of truth that Mordo feared. With a gesture Mordo formed a shield against both the attack and the light.  
"You can't dazzle me with your amulet this time." Mordo said with a sneer. Raising his hands he began to pour Dromammu's power into blast after blast, forcing Strange back.  
Strange backed away slowly, reluctantly, but inevitably. He staggered through a door into the next room Mordo calmly following him.  
"You never guessed my power was so great, did you?"  
"Not your power, you are drawing on a power far greater than your own."  
"You are guessing! And trying to delay." He attacked once again, channeling Dormammu's power into a massive barrage that knocked strange to the ground.  
Using the wall, Dr. Strange pulled himself to his feet.  
"How can you still move?" Mordo asked as he attacked once more.  
Once again, Dr. Strange just deflected this attack, but he immediately realised that the attack was the weakest blast Mordo had unleashed in the entire battle. At the same time, he could see the power in Mordo surging as strong as before if not stronger. *Of course. I've held out long enough that he feels doubt in his abilities.* Gathering all his strength, Dr. Strange prepaired to take advantage of this brief advantage.  
  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormamu also saw the moment of weakness in his pawn. "Mordo! Stand fast and empty your mind!"  
  
Mordo's uncertainty vanished, displaced by a wave of incredible power. "Prepare yourself, Dr. Strange - - for the Inevitable!!"  
Through Mordo, Dormammu lashed out with his own irresistable might.  
  
"YES!" Mordo proclaimed, as his consciousness regained control of his body. "With Dormammu's supreme power I have finally destroyed Dr. Strange!"  
"Cease your boasting Mordo, Dr. Strange has escaped you once again!"  
"NO! How? You saw him vanish before our final attack! He could not have survived that!"  
"He managed to open a rift between dimensions, and the power you channeled simply served to push him through, you blind fool!"  
"Dormammu! We must pursue him! Increase my powers once again and I shall. . ."  
"Do not presume, Mordo! The dimensions of eternity are infinite! I will not waste my strength on such a pointless search. Instead you will remain on earth and wait.  
"The Globe you captured from the ancient one will sense Dr. Strange's magic. When he returns, if he survives to return, you will find him again and send him to the fate he has dodged today."  
  
A small shapeless form hurtled through the infinite. Propelled by an incredible force, it pierced the barriors between hundreds of dimensions, shooting through layer after layer of reality, like a bullet through a thousand sheets of paper. But eventually the force propelling the object was exhausted. As it's speed decreased, the etheral form began to stretch and distort. Finally the now drifting thing, expanded into the human form of Dr. Strange.  
Dr. Strange opened his eyes. *It worked! By using the force of Mordo's own spell I've escaped again. But where am I? And what might I have to face here.*  
Feeling another presence behind him he turned. On a node on a great twisting vine was a woman "Whoever you are, wherever you come from, you must leave at once! If you stay you will be in terrible danger."  
With a thought Dr. Strange floated to the node as well. "What Danger? I mean this world no harm."   
"That doesn't matter to my half-sister Shazana. She has recently stolen the throne, and she fears challenge so much that she has decreed death to any and all strangers! If she finds you, she will kill you!"  
Suddenly a shimmering globe of mystic force surged from the empty sky to engulf them. Pivoting to look, they saw a man riding a strange looking grey steed through the air toward them. "Your warning is too late. Shazana's eyes and ears are everywhere! And she will reward me handsomely for bringing her you." He put away his vaguely gun shaped talisman, and pulled on loop of wire who's ends were attached to his mount's beak. As he took off toward the large structure rising from the meeting of several of the great vines, the globe rose and followed him.  
*I should have guessed that my spell of escape would draw me to a world where the mystic arts are also practised.*  
  
The guard pushed Dr. Strange and his companion before him into a large room, dominated by a small curved staircase. Dr. Strange looked at the dark haired woman standing confidently before the stairs, and stepped forward, raising a hand. "Greetings, I am a visitor from another dimension. I come in peace, and believe we could both learn much of benefit from each other."  
Angrily turning, the woman replied angrily, "You can't decieve me so easialy! My half sister has wanted to steal back her throne, and you clearly are trying to help her. You can't fool Shazana so easialy!" She began to gather mystical power in both her hands. "I shall dispose of you both with a single spell!"  
*I'm still weak from my trip through the dimensions, but I must fight back!* Raising a hand, Dr. Strange gestured, and the spell Shazana was forming collapsed.  
"So, dear sister! You have recruited a mage from another world to regain your throne!" She gathered her mystical powers again, this time prepared for interference.  
"She's too strong! We have to run, now!"  
Shaking his head Dr. Strange responded, "NO! A mystic spell can travel faster than we could ever hope to move. If we flee, we're doomed!"  
"You are doomed whatever you do!" Shazana let her power fill herself and radiate into the surroundings. "I can feel your weakness!" She released a blast of mystical power at Dr. Strange.  
*As I am now, she is too powerful for me to face. My only hope is if she thinks that this weakness is my normal state.* He collapsed   
"So easy. No need to kill him. He will serve even better as a living reminder of my invincibility, and an example to all who might dare to oppose me!" She laughed confidently.  
Her sister took a step toward Dr. Strange. "No closer!" Shazana gathered her power. "Now that I think of it, I have nothing to fear from you either!" With a quick gesture she formed a small globe of light. "I shall let you live also, to show my subjects how merciful their Queen Shazana is!" A motion of her hand sent the globe of light bobbing slowly down the hall. "Follow the light to your quarters! And remain there till I send for you!" Head bowed, her sister followed the globe from the room.  
"Now to deal with you. I think I shall cast a spell of helplessness and then put you on public display!"  
*By the powers of the Vistani- I conjure a brief delay!* With skill only the greatest sorcerors possesed, Dr. Strange touched the thread of his fate, let the silently called powers touch it and through it all others.  
"Supreme Shazana!" declaired a messenger as he bowed low just inside the doorway. "Your subjects have arrived to offer tribute to your supreme majesty!"  
"Ah! Good! Good! I shall accept their gifts while you remain here awaiting your fate."  
  
Dr. Strange sat alone in the room. For a moment his astral body began to sepperate from his physical body, but then the two phased back together. *Too soon. Assuming my astral form would weaken me too much.* Relaxing he centered his breathing, and felt the mystic energy of the new world flow into and through him. With each breath he felt a little more of his weakness fade away. *Every moment restores a little more of my strength. But I cannot stay too long in this realm! Mordo threatens earth, and no one has the strength to stop him!* Slowly he sat, gathering more and more of his energy. A small reptile, shaped like a monkey, slowly made its way into the room and circled closer and closer to him.  
  
Dr. Strange clenched a fist. *Enough. I can't benefit any more from waiting.* He glanced around him. The small bipedal lizard that looking at him started back. Raising a hand, Dr. Strange froze the creature with one gesture. *I remember this. It seemed to be Shazana's pet.* The amulet at his throat opened. A glowing eye floated from within it, then affixed itself to his forehead. Light poured from the eye.  
Dr. Strange felt the strange alien mind of the animal he was examining. In a few moments he began to feel it's memories. *Ah, there is Shazana, it is indeed hers.* He began to sift through the disjointed images. *It now becomes clear. Shazana offered a master sorceror great rewards in exchange for his crafting a mystic globe that endowed her with great mystical powers. And when he gave her what she had sought she proved it's power by killing him. Then she hid the orb beneath the throne.* The beam of light faded, and the eye detached from his forehead and floated back into the amulet. *Now I know my enemy. And that is the greatest weapon of all.*  
  
Dr. Strange focused his mind through his amulet. The eye rose to merge with his forehead once again, then an image of the eye projected forth. Silently the invisible eye sped through the palace, following the path Shazana's sister had taken. In her room the image grew and became visible, manifesting Dr. Strange's image within itself.  
"Have no fear! I can defeat Shazana. Come to me at once." Through the eye Dr. Strange directed a simple spell onto her. "None shall stop you!"  
  
Just under a minute later Shazana's sister entered the room again. "Beter to die fighting." She said quietly.  
"No one need die." Dr. Strange looked at her approvingly. "I have learned of the source of Shazana's power, and to eliminate it I will need only to distract her away from her throne for a few moments. You must summon those you most trust."  
"There are many who would give their lives to end her reign."  
  
With a thought, Dr. Strange taped the power of his cloak and rose to sit in the air before the small group. "So none of you shall doubt my mastery of the Mystic Arts!" He then outlined his plans to the rebels. Shazana's sister and two others lead him to the throne room, leaving the others to prepare their delaying plans.  
  
Shazana rose from her throne and strode forward, a feirce scowl on her face. "You call this tribute?!" Raising her hands she gathered her mystic powers. "I shall send you to the dungeon to rethink your stinginess." Releasing her spell, she watched with satisfaction as the emisaries and their large gold filled chest fell through the hole in reality she had opened. "They try to test my great benevolence." She turned to the throne, then turned away and smiled. Turning she strode from the room. "I shall deal with that stranger now. When my people see the folly of opposing me, they will not be so disrespectful again." She walked past Dr Strange and her sister and continued down the hall.  
"She didn't see us."  
"My Magic shileded us from her sight." Dr. Strange replied as he walked into the throne room. He stopped and looked at the throne. Focusing his mystical perception, he saw the ordered magic of the orb permiating the throne. *She will sense physical tampering, but I can see how to circumvent that.* Opening his amulet, he let the light of Agamato shine on the throne, which began to glow in response.  
  
Shazana ran from the audience room. "Where is he! Whoever helped him leave shall feel my wraith," She froze a moment. "My Throne!"  
  
In the throne room, the throne shimmered and faded to nothingness before the light of Dr. Strange's amulet. "There, the source of Shazana's power is revealed!"  
From another enterance, Shazana ran into the room. "Stop, I don't know who helped you to escape. . ." She saw Dr. Strange levitating before the diasis, right over her orb. "NO!! KEEP AWAY FROM THAT!!" Tapping her powers as fast as she could, she attacked, and watched her blasts bounce of a casually erected shield.  
"Your days as queen are over." Dr. strange said as he wove the remainder of a complex spell across the sphere and himself. With a gesture he shattered the globe, Empowering his newly crafted spell with the power to send him through the dimensions once again, this time aimed precisely at the dimension of earth.  
  
The fabric of reality of the sky above New York, bulged and warped for a few moments, before tearing open to disgorge an amorphos shape which transformed back to the form of Dr. Strange. "I'm back on earth!" he said as he reorineted himself, ignoring the growing thunderstorm overhead. Recognizing his location, he descended to the alley where he had hidden his street clothes. *I cannot return to my sanctom, Mordo's minions are surely on guard. Yet I still posses one advantage! Mordo has no way of knowing that I have returned. I shall use these precious moments to visit the Ancient One.*  
He quickly checked into a nearby hotel. Drawing the shades, he settled into the chair and sepperated his astral form. *The Quickest way to reach Tibet is by journeying thru the core of Earth* With this thought, he dived through the street, and within seconds emerged from the floor of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden.  
Glancing at the Accolite who was mopping the ancient one's brow with a damp cloth, Dr. Strange cast a small spell to make his Astral form visible.  
"Young Master! You have returned! The Vishanti be praised!"  
"Thank you but the master is my main concern." Dr. Strange said as he levitated closer to the bed.  
The accolite took a respectful step back. "The Ancient One has been in a coma since you left. Each day he grows weaker. But it is beyond my poor powers to aid him. I could only pray for your return!"  
Dr. Strange opened his senses, and felt the Ancient one's life energy. "He is weak. He needs strength!"  
"Many times in his coma, he muttered a word - - only one word over and over again! The word - - Eternity!"  
"No time for that now! I must replenish his strength quickly - - before it is too late!" Standing at the foot of the bed, Dr. Strange focused his power in his amulet.  
"Let the power of the Eye of Agamato bathe thee venerable master! Let it's strength become thy strength!" Watching the brightening glow of the Ancient one's life, Dr. Strange let the power flow for one second, then two, then three. "Enough! Too strong a dose could prove fatal!"  
Turning to the accolite Dr. Strange said, "I must go now. I shall return periodically to re-administer the amulet's power! Till then, guard him well, faithful one - - while I ponder the meaning of - - Eternity!" Leaning forward, he sank through the floor.  
Minutes later he rose in the library of the ancient one's sanctum. Releasing the all seeing eye from it's amulet, he let it rise to his forehead to become a third eye. Focusing his awareness through the eye, he turned his gaze on the books and scrolls filling the room. Long seconds later, he let the eye return to it's place in the amulet. "No use! There is no reference to Eternity! If the Master said it, it must be important! I shall not rest till I learn its meaning!"  
He phased through the wall of the chamber, then whipped his head to look at the presence to his left. His eyes met the eyes of one of Mordo's wraith servents, *It's seen me!*  
  
In his own sanctum, Mordo suddenly tensed. "A signal! One of my spirits has found him! At last!"  
As Mordo seperated his own astral form from his physical body, Dormamu spoke from the small tear in reality. "After him Mordo! Have no fear, I shall feed you endless mystic power as you need it!"  
Seconds later, Mordo and three attendant wraiths caught sight of Dr. Strange in the caverns beneath the earth. "I see him!" Mordo cried as he focused a fast blast of power against Dr. Strange.  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu sat on his throne, using the connection that empowered Mordo to watch the chase through his eyes. "Mordo must triumph this time! I must have Strange dead!  
"Once he is gone, I'll be free of my oath! I'll be able to come to earth in person and conquer it!"  
Hidden well back from the throne, a young looking woman with short white hair watched Dormammu with a very troubled expression. Turning from him she speed away. *I owe Dr. Strange my life! And now there is only one way I can save him. No matter the cost - - I must do it!*  
  
In the caverns, Dr. Strange phased through a natural piller, avoiding simaltanous mystic blasts from Mordo and a wraith. *It's too cramped down. I must return to the surface!* Seconds later he shot up from the ground in an Indian town square, Mordo in hot pursuit  
"You won't escape me this time, Strange! There is no place you can go where I cannot follow!"  
Strange fled across and into the ocean, Mordo and his wraiths in pursuit. *Their speed is equal to mine! There is no way I can out-distance them! And Mordo can transfer his power to any of his spirits at will! So they are all equally strong!*  
  
In the Dark Dimension, the white haired girl was flying purposfully, a small speckled sphere grasped to her chest. *The Barrier. Beyond here the Mindless Ones have been imprisoned by the power of the Dread Dormammu!* She felt terror rising within her as she gazed through the barrier. Inside the Mindless One's were following the dictates of their nature, striding irregularly, lashing out at anything in their path with their mighty fists, or blasts of power from their single eye.  
*Only Dormammu's mystic barrier kept them at bay!* She carefully set the sphere onto the floating vine which marked the edge of Dormammu's barrier. *But this device which I have seized can weaken the barrier!* Activating the sphere, she fled as the orb drank the barrier power.  
Behind her more and more of the barriers power was drained away by the sphere's power. And the drain was intensified as those mindless one's near the barrier continued to periodically recognnise it as an obsticle. Then the barrier collapsed.  
Like a hoard of rampaging, living dreadnaughts, the unthinking creatures charged foreward, hungering for the fury of battle! Seconds later, they passed unknowing through a warning spell placed by Dormammu.  
  
"The Mindless Ones Attack!!" The mystic alarm in the dark dimension screamed.  
"I can help you no longer! Other Matters need my attention! Defeat Dr. Strange on your own!"  
"NO!" Responded Mordo on earth. "You must not desert me now!"  
"I must! But Strange will not know you are less powerfull! You can still defeat him!"  
"Dormammu! DORMAMMU! Wait! Come back! Come back!"  
  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu appeared before the onrushing tide of the mindless ones. Sensing his threat, they began their attack, directing enough force to shatter an earth city against him. Gathering his power, Dormammu deflected their power while gathering the magic to form a new barrier to seal them away. "Back, you brainless cattle! Back to the place from whence you came! Dormammu commands!"  
  
On earth, Dr. strange floated between the skyscrapers of LosAngeles, dodging the blasts that now came from every direction. *They've finally surrounded me! I dare not let them come any closer! The only direction left to me is - - upward!* Pushing his astral forms speed to it's limits, he rose straight up into the sky.  
"After him!" Mordo urged his minions as he flew into the sky after his prey. "He must not escape!"  
*I must go higher - - higher! Past earth's atmosphere - - Past the moon - - Right to the center of the Solar System!*  
"Has he gone mad?? He's heading right into the sun itself!" Mordo almost slowed as he realised his enemies destination. *Heat alone cannot affect our ectoplasmic forms, but the sheer power of the suns core. . *  
As approached the outer surface of the sun, Dr. Strange glanced backward. "Follow me, Mordo - - if you dare! For if we both perish, earth will be free of your menace and The Ancient One will be safe!" Looking forward, he dove through the Suns flaming skin.  
Mordo did slow as he approached the Suns surface. Feeling his servants fear, he glanced back at them. *They will go no further, they fear what awaits them! But I must go on!* Turning back to the sun, Mordo accelerated again. *I've come so close! I can't fail now!* He felt the spirits suddenly fleeing back to earth. *They're deserting me completely! But - - they would not dare such behavior unless they can sense I am doomed!* *Bah! What am I thinking! None can defeat me!*  
He plunged into the sun, and flew deeper, feeling the raw might of the sun, feeling his astral body begining to protest what he was doing. "Your scheme did not work, Strange! You cannot loose me! Wherever you go, I'll follow you, until you are destroyed!"  
Looking back at Mordo, Dr. Strange responded. "No Mordo - - not just I - - both of us! For I shall fly directly into the core of the Sun - - and I'll take you with me!  
*That means certain death! Unless - - what if it is a trick? What if he knows a spell to protect himself? That must be it! He plans to lure me to my death! But I'm too smart for him! He cannot trap me!* No, Strange - - I shall not follow you!" Turning he focused his power into speeding his escape from the sea of nuclear fire. "You cannot trick me so easily! I'll wait for you on earth and attack you again at my leisure!"  
Dr. Strange watched Mordo flee, then began to speed an escape of his own. *It worked! He's fleeing! The shades of the seraphim have been merciful to me! Now I shall return to earth by a different route. With luck it will be days before Mordo finds me again!*  
  
A few minutes later, Dr. Strange's astral form floated down through the ceiling of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden. "How fares the Master?"  
"He is better, Dr. Strange! Your amulet has strengthened him, though he is still in a coma."  
"It is time to repeat the treatment, with a stronger intensity now!"  
As the light of Agamato poured over the Ancient One, his breathing quickened, and deepened. "Eternity!" He whispered "You must find Eternity!"  
"He tries to speak." The accolite said quietly. "Listen!"  
Seconds passed. "He is silent again. The strain has weakened him." Dr. Strange raised his hands to the phantom essence of his amulet. The all seeing eye once again rose to his forehead. "Perhaps I can probe his mind, and learn the meaning of eternity."  
Leaning forward, Dr. Strange directed the light from they eye, and reached into the Ancient one's mind. "Gently - - gently - - the slightest error in pressure could cause untold brain damage!" He probed carefully, then frowned. "It is no use! He is in a coma again! And his mind is locked in a mystic defense! If I try to penetrate his mental defences, one of us would surely perish! I must find another way!"  
  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu watched the Mindless one's futile attempt to force their way through his hasty weavings. "There! Only the Dread Dormammu could have erected a new barrier to confine you once more! And now, by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, I force my barrier back, back - - Back to the outer reaches of my empire, where you shall remain forevermore!"  
  
Mordo paced anxously in his sanctum. *Why is there no word from Dormammu?? What has happened to him?* Feeling a wash of power, he looked at where Dormammu's image once again shone in the air.  
"Mordo! Is it over? Is Dr. Strange destroyed??"  
"NO! The spirits deserted me! And Strange had the secret of survival in the sun's core! I dared not follow him!  
"Coward! There is no such secret! You feared to follow! I must go now. My own power has been drained - - I must renew it. But I shall return to you before long! Meanwhile, continue to search for Dr. Strange! Hound him - - weary him - - give him no rest! That is all!"  
  
As Dormammu sat on his throne, absorbing power and contemplating the Mindless one's escape, the white haired young woman responsible, replaced the device that had weakened the barrier. *But if he thinks about it, Dormammu is almost certain to discover that I am responsible!*  



	6. Chapter 5

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.

--------

Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts

By Brendan O'Donnell

Chapter 5

Ranma blinked her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. She frowned as she saw something partially blocking her sight. Raising a hand to her forehead she felt a paper talisman. "Oh yeah." She commented as she pulled it off and sat up. She slowly moved her left arm in a circle, frowning slightly. Her eyes snapped open, and she leaped from her futon.

"YAAH!" Genma screamed as he struck a kick through the space Ranma had just located. Shifting his weight he pivoted to face his transformed son as she landed at the other end of the room. "Sloppy Ranma, you didn't notice me until I was right on top of you.

"Feh, you're a fine one to talk, calling me sloppy while admitting you can't even hit me by surprise."

"We'll see who's sloppy!" Genma stepped forward, thrusting his fist at Ranma.

Ranma stepped right to avoid the fist, then jumped backward just before the follow up kick.

"Now now," Soun called as he walked into the room. "Wouldn't the Dojo be a better place to work these things out?"

Genma looked at his old friend. "Ah, sorry about that Tendo." Dropping into a relaxed stance, he turned to his daughter.

"Outside it is." Ranma commented, lowering hers arms. Suddenly she pivoted, and jumped to the window. Opening it with a jerk, she leaped through a second before Genma, the pair landing in the yard by the pond.

Soun blinked, and looked toward the window. "Such skill. You must be so proud, Saotome."

As he walked to the window, voices echoed from the yard. "Ranma! You break your father's heart!!"

"Hah, tough talk considering that your flabby arms haven't come within a foot of me this morning."

Soun shut the window of the guest room. "I envy you, Saotome."

Ranma yawned as she walked on top of the fence by the canal.

"Are you sure you aren't overdoing things?" Akane commended from where she was walking slightly behind him.

"Don't worry, I heal fast." Ranma responded.

"Yes but. . . Isn't. . . I mean Magic. . ."

"All it did was make me fall a bit faster than usual." And casting those big spells tapped my reserves so low that I'll be a bit weak for a few days.

Nabiki smirked as she looked up at Ranma. "So yesterdays incident doesn't have anything to do with why your dad kicked your butt so easily this morning?"

Ranma scowled, and adjusted her backpack. "Stupid idiot."

Nabiki continued forward with a large smirk on her face.

Akane glanced at Ranma, back at her sister, and shook her head.

"What's he up to now?" Akane commented as she came to a halt and looked at the School.

Ranma jumped next to her, looked at the Schoolyard, and shook her head. "I honestly don't know."

Kuno was standing just inside the gates, holding a red plastic cooler. Seeing the group he sprinted forward. "Akane Tendo! Thunder Goddess! Truly Saotome fears to approach me, now that I know his true. . ." A fast kick from Ranma cut off his declaration, throwing him onto the school roof.

"Jerk." Ranma and Akane commented in near perfect harmony. Blinking they glanced at each other, then looked away.

"Well, he is a jerk," Ranma mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.

"Yeah, Total jerk," Akane responded while studying a nearby building.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what he was thinking." Nabiki commented as she looked into the cooler Kuno had dropped. Ranma glanced over her shoulder.

The inside was packed with ice, surrounding and partially covering a brand new steam iron.

"Cold Iron. . . Idiot," Ranma shook her head.

Ryouga stood at the top of a stony bluff, looking down on a rustic town. Tears streamed down his face. "DAMN YOU RANMA! I'm not going to let you escape me so easily!" He stepped forward, striking a defiant pose. As his foot struck the ground, the side of the cliff collapsed under him.

" Our Arrangements are complete. "

Shampoo looked at her Great Grandmother, who was standing contemplating a pair of tickets with a self satisfied smirk on her face. " Are you sure we are following their real trail? She seems very good at vanishing. "

" She has skill, but her judgment is poor. She has definitely gone to Japan. What's more I've learned that her Panda sent a letter to Tokyo. We will soon find her again. "

"Ranma Saotome!" The teacher asked.

"Here," Ranma said, raising her hand.

The teacher glanced at her a moment, then looked back at the list. "Akane Tendo!"

Akane looked at Ranma, then at the teacher, who was repeating his query, "Um, here!"

"Nice spell, Saotome." Nabiki commented as she sat with Ranma and her sister.

"What spell, I haven't done anything since that that run in with Mordo."

Akane choked on her drink a moment. "But the teachers. . ." She gasped, pausing to inhale, "And Saiyuri, it's like they didn't realize you were any different until I pointed it out."

"Side effect of magic. Most folks don't want to be aware of it." Ranma suddenly smiled and chuckled to herself.

"And what's so funny?" Nabiki asked, eyes half closed.

"Well, I was just wondering how dad would react if he learned that some of the oldest martial arts styles in the world were created by sorcerers."

Akane blinked a moment. "Oh, now that you're making up."

Ranma shook her head. "I'm serious. It's a way of connecting with the world, to counterbalance the otherworldliness of our work. And it makes it easier to handle Magic's demands on the body."

"Well if you say so." Akane grinned. "At least it explains why no one else noticed you snoring in homeroom."

Shan sat in a corner of the ancient one's audience chamber, looking at the damage from the recent battle. Mordo has acted, he will soon be victorious! A smile began to form on his lips, but faded. With Dormammu's aid we have triumphed! As his hands began to shake, he clenched his fists. Dormammu. . . How could such power exist!

With a shudder Shan rose to his feet and walked to one of the exits. He paused at the door. Mother, Father. . . Thinking back he remembered the day he had met Mordo so long ago. The day his village's lords and protectors had decided they were no more use. Mordo saved me. For his own purposes, but he gave me my life. And he gave me a way to gain the power to control my fate, power that is my own! He remembered being called into Mordo's presence, seeing the gate to Dormammu's realm behind him, feeling the fraction of Dormammu's might that was infusing Mordo.

"HAHAHAHAHAH!!" He laughed as he fled the room, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ranma yawned as she walked along the fence by the canal.

"Your sure you're all right." Akane commented from the path.

"Yes," Ranma responded angrily.

"Hey I'm just worried about you!"

Ranma sighed. "I'm fine, it's not like we're engaged or anything."

Akane's cheeks turned red. "Of. . . Of course we're not. . ." She came to a stop, the color draining from her face as she looked ahead.

Ranma looked at Akane, then looked toward the target of her attention.

"I'm sure I had the tickets," Dr. Tofu commented as he picked up a vending machine.

"Oh, you're so silly, Doctor Tofu!" Kasumi cheerfully exclaimed as she stood by him, two tickets in her hands.

Akane sighed, and looked to the ground sadly.

Ranma hopped down beside her. Stepping between Akane and her sister, she began moving her hands, weaving the power between them.

Akane blinked and looked up. "What?"

Ranma smiled, "Just watch." She brought her hands together, then opened them into a cupped shape. A small glowing seed floated in her palms. As they watched, it sprouted, and a stalk grew up to form a bud, which blossomed into a rainbow colored rose.

"Wow!" Akane commented.

"Neat, huh?" Ranma commented, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face.

"It's so. . ." Akane said, reaching for the rose, then watching her hand pass through it. "It's not real?"

"It's an illusion." Ranma responded, dropping her hands and letting the flower fade away. Raising her arm, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve.

Akane looked at Ranma's somewhat washed out complexion. "Wait, are you OK?"

Ranma smiled. "Don't worry, illusions aren't that tough. I'm just a little tapped anyway." She turned toward a side street away from the canal. "You in the mood for something to eat, I'm starving!"

"OK!"

Ranma yawned as she walked along the fence.

"Ok, Genma 2, Ranma nothing." Nabiki commented from the road alongside him. Turning to her sister she added in a deliberately loud whisper, "Want to place a bet on tomorrow? One yen on Ranma can get you back two if he wins."

Ranma sat a foot above the ground in her sanctum. A few feet away from her, a wraith hovered halfway through the floor.

Ranma looked at the wraith.

The wrath looked back.

"I don't know anything you don't know already." Ranma commented in annoyance.

The wraith cocked it's head like it was puzzled, then continued looking at Ranma.

With a sigh Ranma levitated a scroll from the wall into her hands. Waste of time to fight it, have to recover and tread cautiously.

"Ranma, Telephone!" Kasumi called.

"Thank you Kasumi," Ranma said with a smile as she took the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Ranma Saotome?" The voice responded.

Dr. Strange! Carefully she kept herself from trying to scan for the wraith which periodically floated in to investigate her. "Is that you Dr. Specter?"

"Specter? Ah the wraiths are watching you are they?"

"Yes Doctor."

"There is a gravely important matter I am investigating now, Ranma. I must know if the Ancient One imparted you with any information on the secret of Eternity."

Ranma thought for a moment. "I'd have to check, but I'm almost sure not."

"I expected as much, but I had to confirm. May the Vishanti smile on you."

"And on you."

He's still alive. That means there's hope.


	7. Chapter 5- Extension(No Ranma)

Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts  
By Brendan O'Donnell  
Chapter 5 appendium  
  
Note mostly retelling the story from Strange Tales183-187 in two appendiums to Chapters 4 and 5  
  
Under the light of the moon, a rented car arrived at a lonely castle overlooking a foggy English moor. Walking from the car, Dr. Strange looked at the castle. *Sir Baskerville! He had been a disciple of Baron Mordo's until he met with an accident, and now he lives in seclusion. There is a chance that he may know the meaning of eternity!*  
Moments later he was welcomed by the castles one handed owner. "Dr. Strange! How good to see you! It has been so long since I've seen any practitioners of the mystic arts! Come in! Come it! You must have a spot of tea with me!"  
"My time is limited, Sir Baskerville! My business with you is most urgent!"  
"Indeed? Then tell me. . . how may I serve you?"  
"I seek the meaning of Eternity! Have you any knowledge of the secret which that single word contains?"  
"Eternity? By Jove yes! I can help you!" Turning the white haired man strode from the room. "Wait there! Make yourself at home! I seem to remember an ancient scroll which I possess! It dealt with Eternity! I shall search for it!" Just before leaving the room he paused and called back with a smile, "Take off your coat! Do not leave 'till I return!"  
*He seems anxious to aid me! And yet . . . he seems almost too anxious!*  
  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu began to gather his power. "My power is supreme throughout my world! Only through betrayal could the Mindless One's have escaped!" Focusing how power, he formed a simple spell. "Ahh! An image begins to form even now!" Looking at the image saw the Mindless one's prison. "Wait! Yes, the same girl who dared speak with Dr. Strange when he last invaded my Dark Dimension! It was she! She planted a power drinker which weakened my enclosure!! Now I know!" A gesture violently dispersed the image. "I have seen enough!"  
Power gathered around Dormammu like a storm, as the flames about his head blazed higher. "She shall pay for her betrayal . . . just as he shall pay for daring to challenge the power of the Dread Dormammu!" Then the power began to subside. "But I must plan my vengeance! Their fate must be awesome . . . and completely unexpected! Ah, what pleasure it shall afford me!"  
  
On earth, Sir Baskerville, stood before a scroll covered table. Raising a hand to his forehead he concentrated his thoughts. *MORDO! This is your loyal disciple! Dr. Strange is in my castle! The time to strike is now!!*  
Far away, Mordo focused his own thoughts in response to Baskerville's telepathic call. *At last!! Do nothing to arouse his suspicions, Baskerville! Delay him! But under no circumstances give him any information about Eternity! That is my absolute command!*  
*I hear and obey, Mighty Master!*  
Mordo Turned to the hole in reality through which Dormammu had spoken to him last. * Dormammu still attends to matters in his own dimension! But some of his unimaginable power continues to seep through to me. . . Strengthening me for my coming battle!* He turned to look at one of his human agents. "I shall remain here, basking in the glow of the ever-increasing power which receive from the Dark Dimension!  
"And I shall dispatch you to the castle of Baskerville! There you will carry out my every telepathic command! For you shall be the tool with which I destroy Dr. Strange!  
"By the Seven Rings of Ragadorr . . .  
By Cyttorak's Crimson Bands!  
I send thee through the unseen door. . .  
Go thou where my spell commands!"  
Moments later Baskerville cowered back as a mote of light came through the walls and reformed into Mordo's chosen henchman.  
"I have come, Baskerville! Though I speak through another's lips, I am your master! I see, I hear, and I command!"  
  
Minutes later, Baskerville emerged from his library. "I have found it, my friend! Come let us study it together!" He kept his gaze on Dr. Strange, avoiding the doorway through which Mordo's agent was preparing to strike.  
"Bring it to me, Baskerville! I must be certain that it is authentic! It must be tested!"  
From behind him, Mordo struck through his pawn. The mystic attack enveloped Dr. Strange. Who instantly evaporated into mist.  
"It isn't him!" Baskerville said. "It's just an illusion!"  
"Incompetent Fool!! You assured me he suspected nothing!!"  
Baskerville glanced about nervously, then paused. "Look! That suit of armor. I could have sworn I detected a slight movement!"  
Through his agent, Mordo gathered his power. "He thought we would not search in such an obvious place! Well, he has made his final mistake!"  
The armor jumped from the pedestal.  
Gloatingly Mordo declared "there is no escape! That useless armor cannot shield him from a mystic spell!"  
"But Mordo!!" Baskerville said in an increasingly panic filled voice. "Your spell seems to have no effect on him!"  
"Then I'll increase its potency!" In his sanctum, Mordo redirected more and more of the power leaking from the Dark dimension into the spell. "It cannot be!" He said as he saw through his agent the armor continue to pound against the door from the room. "Nothing made of flesh and blood can withstand the force I am hurling against him!"  
The door came off its hinges, and the armor ran through, stumbling somewhat.  
"Hah!! He is beginning to falter!" Mordo declared as his agent ran after his target. "He cannot run much further!" The agent ran to the door.  
As he reached the open frame, Dr. Strange suddenly pivoted from the side of the doorway, and rammed his fist into the agent. "It worked! I was hoping you'd run through the doorway!"  
"Mordo's aura has faded as I knew it would once his emissary lost consciousness! As for you, Baskerville. . ." With a gesture and a thought, Dr. Strange froze the old man in his tracks. "You shall never betray me again!"  
  
In his sanctum, Mordo stood, a look of shocked disbelief on his face. "I've lost contact!! But how. . . why?? It happened so fast!" He scowled. "But I must not give up now! I must continue to attack my accursed arch-enemy, before I lose his trail once more! Spirits of evil, I summon thee!! Appear at once! Go thou!! Be the eyes of Mordo! I must know what has occurred before I can act again!"  
  
In Baskerville's castle, Dr. Strange was using the all seeing eye to probe the memory of Mordo's agent. In his mind he saw Mordo, and the gateway through which his power had come. "Now I shall learn for certain who is the power behind Mordo! Ahhh. . . There is Mordo, and behind him. . . behind him. . . I see. . . The Dread Dormammu!! Of course! Now there can be no doubt! I suspected as much! But now I have the positive proof!" Letting the eye return to the amulet, Dr. Strange turned to Baskerville. "Now you! Tell me truly what you know of Eternity! By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, you cannot now speak a falsehood!"  
"I - Know - Nothing!  
"I hated the Ancient One . . . Because he could now cure my injured hand!! I wanted to strike back at him! To hurt him by harming you! Mordo promised he would restore my hand . . . So I did his bidding."  
"It is as I guessed! Now heed my words! Mordo deceived you. He cannot cure your hand! It is beyond the power of Sorcery! And now you interest me no longer!"  
Stepping into the hallway Strange raised a hand. The suit of armor floated to him. Taking off the helmet, he drew his cloak of levitation from inside the armor. "I was lucky my ruse worked!" Putting on the cloak, he looked upward. "But once again I must do the unexpected! Mordo's spirits must be about to attack me at this very moment! They will not find me unprepared!"  
Rising to the castle wall, Dr. Strange looked at the wraiths charging toward him. *They will expect me to flee! They will be ready to pursue me! But I shall hold my ground and face them! It is the one thing they shall not expect!* He waited a moment, then with a thought to his cloak, he rose above the battlements. The wraiths slowed as they saw him. *The eyes of each are upon me! The moment is NOW!*  
"In the name of the eternal Vishanti . . . !  
"I claim complete control over your minds and thoughts!! No other command can supercede mine! The thought I now give you will become your own!  
"Dr. Strange has fled to the Netherworld! You must follow him there!"  
Dr. Strange looked after the wraiths as they flew away. *Once again, the element of surprise, the power of the unexpected has saved me from Mordo's legions! They shall waste precious time searching the nether-world in vain!*  
  
In his Sanctum Baron Mordo stood, scowling. "My spirits now pursue Strange to the Netherworld! But why have I lost contact with Baskerville? Something is wrong! I must go to the castle in person!" He turned to the portal. "But first I must arm myself by absorbing as much of Dormammu's power as I can!"  
  
In England, Dr. Strange adjusted his trenchcoat and ran into the fog, dressed in his civilian attire once again. *I have won this encounter with Mordo! And yet, my victory is not really a victory at all! My first attempt to solve the riddle of Eternity has ended in complete failure for me!*  
As the fog swallowed Dr. Strange, A great light announced the arrival of Baron Mordo.  
  
In the Dark Dimension, the white hared woman was walking, and trying not to think of Dormammu. Then a spell appeared before her. *OH! He's found me already!* The spell instantly shaped itself into a cage around her, and pulled her through a hole in the fabric of the Dark Dimension. "My fate is sealed!"  
"Greetings betrayer!" Dormammu said as he watched his prisoner appear. "There you shall stay until you see, with your own eyes, the final defeat of Dr. Strange! And when that time comes, you shall join him in that defeat.  
*It was all in vain! We are now both doomed!*  
Turning away, Dormammu reopened his connection to Mordo. "And what of you, Baron Mordo? I have given you power! I have protected you! But you have failed me!"  
"Not so, Dormammu! I'll catch Strange yet! I finally have a clue! I learned that he seeks the secret of Eternity!"  
"He searches for Eternity??! You witless clod! You must stop him! He must not find it! It could destroy all my future plans!"  
"I - - don't understand! I have never even heard of it!"  
"It is knowledge not intended for such as you! But it could doom us all if he finds it! Go, Mordo! GO! Dr. Strange must be destroyed!"  
"This time I'll succeed! I won't fail again!" Turning from the portal, Mordo walked into another room, where his minion was gazing intently at a mystic globe.  
"Are there any signs of magical force appearing within the mystic globe? Speak Disciples!"  
"Not yet, Master! Dr. Strange must know that any spell he uses will guide us to him so long as we watch the enchanted globe!"  
"Then until we can find him I can do nothing. But I must again alert my followers thruout the world!" Gathering his mental powers, Mordo reached out with his mind. "Whosoever sees the accursed Dr. Strange must inform me immediately, or suffer my deadly wrath!"  
  
Days later, Dr. Strange approached a well hidden cave deep in the mountains of Tibet. *I must choose my words carefully, The countless years have left The Aged Genghis on the verge of madness!* "Peace be with thee, honored mystic! I seek great knowledge, which only the all knowing Genghis might possess!"  
The frail old figure looked up from the brazier he was levitating before. With a toothless smile he responded. "In truth, I know everything!"  
"Then you must certainly know the secret meaning of Eternity!"  
"Eternity??! Of course I do! I, and I alone! All the others who shared that knowledge have gone to the great beyond! Only I remain!" Genghis's brow furrowed a moment. "Wait! There is one other who knows! It is the Ancient One! He tried to erase the secret! But I still remember!"  
"Tell me then! What does it mean?"  
Genghis sat in the air a moment. "I am old - - My mind is clouded, I cannot remember the meaning!" His head swiveled suddenly and he floated to a nearby shelf. "But - - I have a scroll! Yes - - That's it! The Scroll!" He began to search through the jumble of scrolls on the shelf, then turned to Dr. Strange again. "There!  
"That is the answer! It is written on the parchment!"  
Taking the scroll, Dr. Strange examined it carefully. "It's so ancient - - so faded - - but I can read one word - - Eternity! This must be it!"  
  
Soon Dr. Strange stood in the nearby ruins of an ancient long abandoned temple. Feeling the residual power around him, he began to shape the spell, trusting the residual magic to hide the foundations of his own incantation. "At last - - I can recite the mystic spell!  
Deamons of darkness at my command  
Transport me to the hidden land!"  
Before him, space began to twist and buckle from an unseen force. Then reality collapsed, and a black tunnel burrowed into another dimension. *I must enter it - - no matter where it leads!* Dr. Strange leaped into the rift he had created.  
  
"Master! Behold the globe!" Mordo's servant called from his vigil.  
Turning sharply, Mordo looked at the mystic representation of the earth, and felt the power of the spell. "It's Dr. Strange!" Reaching for his link to Dormammu, he focused his power into the spell transforming his body to energy. Seconds later he arrived in the Ancient temple, reforming just in time to see a portal close behind Dr. Strange's cloak. "Too late!"  
  
"The entrance melted into nothingness, Dormammu! I could not follow! But, this scroll was left behind."  
"Quickly! Let me see it!!" Dormammu extended his perceptions more strongly into the earth realm, feeling the scroll Mordo held up to the gateway. "The fool! In his eagerness to find eternity, he did not notice it was a different spell! It can lead him only to - - eternal doom!"  
"But, what if he escapes?"  
"Then we shall find him again! Time has no meaning to me!"  
*I was a fool to make this bargain.* Mordo thought, trying to force down the slowly growing fear of his new masters power.  
  
Dr. Strange looked at the strange space he had traveled to warily. *What place is this? It reeks of evil! Was I too haste? Should I have read the scroll more carefully - -?* He moved forward, through the wisps of mist, and paused as he approached a series of great green pillars stretching into the heights and the depths. *Columns of Masks! The most lifelike I have ever seen! But, who fashioned them? And, for what purpose??* Passing the columns, he looked further, and saw a man sized gold tinted circle, upon which a human like figure was shackled hand and foot. *Shackled and Blindfolded*, he thought as he came closer and saw the gray metallic band covering the prisoners eyes.  
"I hear the sound of another living being!" the prisoner said in a voice full of wonder. "Can it be a rescuer?? Am I to be saved at last?"  
"I shall help you if I can! Who did this to you?"  
"No! I do not believe you! It is another trick! The demon is toying with me again!" The prisoner paused a moment. "If you are not the demon, remove my mask and let me gaze upon you - -!"  
Dr. Strange floated to the prisoner. "You have nothing to fear from me! I shall show you - -!"  
"Then it's true? I am about to be saved?? Quickly, Quickly - - Let me see thy face!!"  
Dr. Strange lifted the mask from the prisoners face, then recoiled back from the green radiance pouring from his eyes.  
"Hah! I have trapped another victim!! Once anything that lives gazes into my enchanted eyes, I become it's master!! - - While you - - You become another living trophy to be added to my occult collection!"  
Strange felt the power tear through him, then suddenly it ceased. And as he looked at the demon in his own mystic attire, he realized he was now shackled as it had seemed moments ago.  
"See how easily I cause you to exchange places with me! That is the price all must pay when they enter my netherworld of doom!" Raising his hands, he formed a green light into a more physical form. "Only by looking into my eyes once more can you break the spell!" With a quick motion he placed the green substance he had created onto Dr. Strange's face, watching it spread to cover the whole head. "But I shall see to it that you never get the chance!"  
*It is the ultimate trap!! I can utter no spell - - I cannot use my hands - - Even my ectoplasmic form is unable to leave my body!!*  
"Within minutes your mask will be complete - - and I shall add it to my magnificent collection of victims!!"  
*Only my brain is still free - - My brain which can still control one thing!*  
As the demon looked gloating at his victim, he suddenly felt a fierce jerk at the shoulders throwing him into a spin. As he looked for a culprit, Dr. Strange's cloak of levitation, lashed out and wrapped itself around him. "This is madness!! The cloak is alive!"  
Beneath the increasingly well formed mask Dr. Strange would have smiled if he could have moved his lips. *Not alive - - It is merely subject to my control. And if I can maintain control long enough - -!*  
The demon tried to pull himself free of the increasingly tight straightjacket like grip of the cloak of levitation. "I can't fight it!! It's everywhere!" *This must be his work! He's stronger than I thought! I'll have to free him to save myself!* Fighting the cloaks grip, he reached out, and tore the masks from Dr. Strange's face. *He wouldn't suspect that I still have a way to defeat him!*  
Dr. Strange took a breath of air. *Another few seconds would have been too late!* Gathering his control of the cloak, he jerked the demons head up to right in front of him, and the cloak peeled back from his eyes. "And now that I have broken your spell, I command you to release me!"  
Feeling his own mystic garb covering him again, he looked at the demon, preparing for another attack. "And now- -!"  
"Stop! You are still not safe!" Gathering his powers his opponent gestured, and a great mist suddenly boiled from nothingness, and from the mist began to emerge a great throng that grew every second. "I shall set my victims free, and they shall defeat you for me! So long as I posses their masks, they must obey me! They will destroy you!" As the multitude began to advance on Dr. Strange, the demon laughed. "They have been trapped here from all ages - - From all worlds - - And now, they shall see to it that you join their ranks!! At him my slaves!!!"  
*They are innocent victims. But I must protect myself!* Dr. Strange gathered his power, then willed his amulet to open, and focused his power through it's mystic light.  
"In the name of the eternal Vishanti, may the light of the All seeing eye of Agomotto send them back from whence they came!  
Begone helpless ones! You are free! The demon controls you no longer!" Pausing long enough to watch the demons victims fade from the dark realm, he turned to their captor. "And now, thing of evil, all that remains is you!" He opened his amulet wide, letting Agomotto's light envelope the demon. "I shall bathe you in the enchanted light until your menace is ended forever!"  
His enemy tried to gather his dark power, but every spell dissolved before the light of truth. "NO!! No more -- I cannot bear it!" Desperately, he released his connections to his realm, and what remained of the onetime demon was cast into the infinite.  
"This world of yours is so evil, so foul, that I now understand why the Ancient One tried to destroy all knowledge of it!"  
Gathering his strength, Dr. Strange let his amulet's light spread across the whole realm. "But now, under the light of justice -- Under the rays of the All Seeing Eye -- It can no longer endure -- And so -- It shall vanish, to return nevermore!" As the very reality surrounding him began to collapse, He gathered his strength once more, to open a portal. Tumbling through he returned to earth.  
  
Some time later, Dr. Strange slipped through hidden tunnels to enter the cave where the Ancient One was hidden.  
"Dr. Strange!" The acolyte said, as he saw who was entering. "The Ancient One has been calling your name, over and over, in his coma!"  
Worry plain on his face, Dr. Strange asked, "Has he grown weaker?"  
"No - He has actually gained a bit of strength!" He paused and looked at Dr. Strange. "But, what news do you have of Eternity?"  
"None! My quest has been a failure thus far!" Forcing the worry from his face, Dr. Strange stepped to the Ancient one's bedside. "But I have learned that the Dreaded Dormammu is aiding Mordo in his hunt for me! So, I can delay no longer! I must wrest the secret of Eternity from the mind of the Ancient One himself! There is no other way!"  
"You -- you would dare??!"  
"I must dare -- if we are to survive!"  
Face fixed with determination, the acolyte stepped between Dr. Strange and the Ancient One. "NO! You mustn't do this! It is too dangerous!"  
"There is no other way! The Ancient One must be cured, and only the secret of Eternity will save him!"  
Determination became desperation. "But he is so weak! If something goes wrong - The slightest shock could be fatal!"  
"I am aware of that, trusted one! But do not forget the dread Dormammu and Baron Mordo! This is our only chance to defeat them."  
"You are the Ancient One's true disciple, the decision is yours along to make."  
"Then leave us now. The deed must be done.  
  
Dr. Strange sat on the Ancient One's bed, opening his amulet. *I must constantly bathe the Ancient One in the light of my amulet, to continually provide the energy he will need for the ordeal ahead!* From the heart of the beam rose an eye, floating to become one with Dr. Strange's forehead. *Although in so doing, I make it more difficult for myself, since the amulet's power will help him to resist the probing of my mystic eye!*  
From his newly formed third eye, Dr. Strange focused the power of his mind. *It is as I feared! Already his mind creates a shield to prevent my mental onslaught! But I must continue my probe!* Feeling the Ancient One's instinctive barrier, Dr. Strange began to feel it's weaknesses, began to slowly penetrate the wall around the Ancient One's mind.  
*Wait! He is resorting to another measure!* As the barrier began to buckle, something else began to take shape. Suddenly it lashed out, a blinding light directed at the mystic eye. *Blinded! The mystic eye will be useless until the shock wears off!* With a thought, he separated the eye from himself and let it return to the amulet. *But I must reach into his brain! I cannot be turned back now!*  
*Telepathy may yet succeed. . .!* Gathering his will, he began to project his thoughts to the ancient one "Hear my words, venerable Ancient One! Hear the words of thy disciple Doctor Strange. . .! You must not resist me! You must tell me of Eternity!" *Still no response. . .*  
Suddenly a dense fog flooded into his mind. *A Mindtrap! He does hear me, but he does not believe!* The numbing force swirled tighter and tighter around Dr. Strange's mind, trying to block out everything. *It is like fighting myself! My own amulet gives him the strength to resist me -- and yet, I dare not remove it from him for he sorely needs its energy!*  
Directing his mystic powers inward, he pushed back against the mindtrap. For dangerous minutes he fought desperately against the choking power, then it began to give, and finally collapse. "My mind is free again!"  
Breathing deeply Dr. Strange slowly let his mystic powers recover. Slowly he gathered more strength, and let his exhaustion wash away. Then he decided he could wait no longer.  
"Master, your disciple entreats you -- Be not on guard against Dr. Strange. . .!" Again he focused his will, and pushed gently into his teachers mind.  
Power surged forth from the ancient one's mind, lashing out to envelope Dr. Strange again. *This is a new mental weapon -- with a different power!* Around him the cave began to distort and mystic forms began to solidify from nothingness. *It is the most dangerous one of all -- for it feeds my brain hallucinations! I cannot tell what is real, or what is imaginary!*  
Gathering his power, Dr. Strange fought back against the storm of images. As his fingers grew and twisted, he grasped at his senses, seeking to recover control. *My only chance is to concentrate -- with every fiber of my being -- focus my mind on the ancient one -- on nothing else! Concentrate! CONCENTRATE!*  
*The Ancient one. . . his bed. . . the cave walls. . . The hallucinations are fading! Everything grows clearer once more.* For a moment a smile touched his lips. *But the hallucinations actually helped me!* Gathering his strength again, Dr. Strange prepared a new tactic. *This is the one thing he must recognize! I'll send actual mental images of myself to him!* "Venerable master, this is Dr. Strange! See -- my words are true -- I am Doctor Strange!"  
Sweat trickling down his face Dr. Strange poured his energy into the imagery he was offering his master.  
Then the ancient one's mind reacted again, power pouring forth into Dr. Strange's mind.  
*At Last! He's probing me -- measuring my features -- testing to see if I really am the one I claim to be!* Looking inward, Dr. Strange deliberately dropped his every mental defense. *Now it is my turn to have trust in him!*  
{Thou are truly my trusted disciple! I greet thee, Dr. Strange}  
{Master! The Hosts of Hoggoth be praised! I have reached thee at last!}  
{Your Ordeal -- Your thoughts -- Everything that has happened, are all clear them, for I have seen them in thy brain, my son!}  
{You have fought valiantly and well against The Dread Dormammu and his treacherous cats-paw, Mordo! You have put my inner mind at rest! It is good!} The Ancient One's lips shifted into a sight smile. {And Now, I shall reveal to you the secret of how to contact Eternity! Let your mind go limp -- I shall fill it with secrets the like of which you have never dreamed!}  
  
Dr. Strange floated through the mountains, looking for a deserted place where he could cast the spell. Seeing a deserted mountain peak, he landed and gathered his strength again. Drawing on the knowledge implanted in his mind, he began to recite the ancient spell. As the ancient words reverberated from him, the dark clouds gathered across the sky. The wind picked lashing at his cloak. As the world reacted to the power arising within it, Dr. Strange continued the spell, on to it's conclusion.  
"By the Shades of the Seraphim let all that I have commanded come to pass!!"  
The amulet on his neck opened, allowing the light of The Eye of Aggamatto within to pour into the world. He channeled his mystical power as he had so recently learned and the amulet came away from him and began to grow. Turning it opened revealing a great vortex. With one step Dr. Strange entered the gateway. Seconds later the giant amulet faded into nothing.  
Like a thunderbolt a great sphere of light descended to the spot Dr. Strange had just left. As it touched the ground, it reshaped and solidified into Mordo. "GONE! I am one microsecond too late!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
From the hole bored from the center of reality, Dr. Strange floated back into our world. "What did Eternity mean?" He thought to himself. Putting his doubts aside, he floated back to the hidden cave.  
*Something's wrong!* Dr. Strange quickened his pace through the rooms. "Ancient One!" Before him lay his master's straw pallet, empty. "He has been found!" Extending his senses, he moved to the single living being who stood against a wall in an adjacent room. The acolyte was immobile, frozen in a shocked posture, his eyes staring straight ahead.  
"Entranced." With a quick exertion of his mystic power, Dr. Strange banished the magic paralization gripping the Ancient One's servant. He sagged back against the wall, closing his eyes and shaking his head with a quiet moan. "Ah, you return to normal. Good. . ."  
Feeling dark power behind him, Dr. Strange pivoted to look. A trio of wraiths floated through the floor, one coming to a halt, and raising a hand to point toward the cave's entrance. "Mordo's Spirits! I should have known!"  
"It was Mordo!" The acolyte said weakly. "I could not stop him! I would have given my life, but . . ."  
"Do not reproach yourself, faithful one, the mission is now mine." Turning Dr. Strange walked to the cave's entrance, and floated out, following the wraith who had gestured. The other wraiths flew beside and behind him as he traveled through the mountains.  
  
Mordo smiled, clenching a fist in happiness. "He's coming, Dormammu! We've beaten Strange at last! The prize is ours!"  
From the dimensional gateway Dormammu's voice rang, "The prize is mine! You are merely my agent, earthling! Remember that always!"  
Mordo turned to look at his one time master. "What of the Ancient One? He is of no use to us! Let us destroy him before he recovers his powers!"  
"NO! If Dr. Strange truly found Eternity, I must make him reveal what he learned! And only by threatening the life of his aged master can we force him to tell what we demand!" Dormammu's power erupted from the portal to envelope the Ancient One, who faded to nothingness. "Within this Time Trap he will be invisible to the probing amulet of Dr. Strange.  
"At last the victory I crave is almost within my grasp!" In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu turned to look at his prisoner. "And I have not forgotten you, traitorous one! You who tried to aid my enemy! Before you pay the awesome penalty, you shall witness the total and everlasting defeat of the one you vainly attempted to help!"  
  
Dr. Strange entered the great chamber, passing between the ornately decorated columns. "Take me to the Ancient One! If he has been harmed, then I swear by the Shades of the Seraphim. . .!"  
"Silence, defeated one!" Mordo responded, his hands confidently folded before his chest. "It is we who give the orders here! You have played your final gambit. . . the game is lost!"  
Dormammu looked through the portal directly at Dr. Strange. "We meet again, mortal! And this time, you shall not escape Dormammu! It is I who am the power! It is you who are the prey!  
"Now speak! What powers has Eternity given you? I must know! And hark you well sorcerer, I can sense when a human speaks not the truth!"  
Face still determined, Dr. Strange responded, "Then you must surely sense that Eternity has given me nothing!"  
Mordo turned to the portal. "He dares lie to us, Dormammu! He must be punished!"  
"No Mordo!" Dormammu's voice vibrated with satisfaction. "His words have the ring of truth! His journey to Eternity was in vain!"  
"Ahhh! Then indeed we have nothing to fear from him! His lone power cannot begin to match ours!"  
A small exertion of Dormammu's power pulled the Ancient one back into reality. "There! I have brought forth the Ancient One!" More power flowed into the Ancient One. "Now, I shall restore his health so that he may witness his disciples defeat!"  
Mordo smiled. "At last! The triumphant moment I have awaited these many years!"  
Dr. Strange rushed to the Ancient one's side. "Master! You must not despair! No matter what befalls, I shall fight on while a single breath yet remains to me!"  
The Ancient One weakly stirred. "I knew you would come. . ." He breathed deeply and pulled himself from his slump into a sitting position. "Though my flesh is weak, my brain is cleared at last! Together we shall yet overcome those who would destroy humanity!"  
"Alas, we face a far stronger foe! Though I wearied myself in the search for Eternity, I returned empty Handed! Eternity gave me no powers to make me the equal of Dormammu!"  
A look of determination formed on the Ancient One's face. "No matter! The final chapter is not yet written! There are forces at work which even you cannot yet fathom!  
"You must fight on!"  
"You have talked enough!" Dormammu proclaimed. "I grow hungry for the taste of Victory!  
"Though I be in a far distant dimension, Mordo shall battle for me -- with the awesome power that only Dormammu can give him! It shall be as though I myself have scored the ultimate triumph!"  
A smug smile on his face, Mordo stepped forward. "Then let the combat begin!"  
Doctor Strange turned and looked his long time adversary in the eye. "Mordo, thou master of treachery -- I stand ready!"  
  
Mordo began to shape the river of power flowing into him from Dormammu. He smiled cruelly. "So long as you endured, my mystic power could never be supreme!"  
Dr. Strange gathered his mystic strength. He felt the Ancient One's power flowing to augment his own strength. *But we both know full well that it is nothing to the power Mordo is receiving from the Dread Dormammu!* He recalled his master's last advice. 'You and Mordo were both my students, you match each other in knowledge. So where Mordo wields power, you must wield wisdom.'  
Mordo let the power build slowly in his hands. "Now. Once I have destroyed you, all of mankind shall call Mordo Master!"  
Dormammu's voice reverberated from the portal. "Waste not your energy on words! Let the deed be done! The time for gloating comes after the victory! Attack, Mordo -- ATTACK!"  
Mordo released the destructive power he had gathered in two simulations blasts, their power pouring forth and deflecting off Dr. Strange's shield.  
*I must confine myself to defense at first, while I study his battle plan and watch for an opening.* Dr. Strange thought.  
Mordo quickly amplified the power he was building, from a trickle to a torrent of devastation. "Your strategy is crystal clear to me, Strange! But defensive tactics along cannot save you! Sooner or later, your guard will be down!" *I can afford to be reckless! With Dormammu behind me, my power is virtually inexhaustible!*  
Dr. Strange backed away, reinforcing his failing shields. *Dormammu is growing impatient! He begins to increase Mordo's power! I can feel it!* He felt his defense beginning to buckle. *This move calls for the most perfect Timing. . .!* He dropped his shields, and folded space to redirect Mordo's converging attacks.  
*May Raggadore smite him!!! He deflected my twin spells, causing them to collide harmlessly above him!* "Clever stunts cannot save you, Strange! Time is on my side! While you grow weaker, Dormammu makes me stronger with each passing second!" Gathering his power he wove a new attack.  
*He speaks the truth! Yet I dare not falter* "Base Braggart!" Feeling the spell Mordo was crafting, he prepared his own countermeasure. With both hands upraised, he deflected the oncoming cylinder of black lightning in all directions. "See how easily I split your spell with the smallest fraction of my power!"  
Mordo struck again. "More power Dormammu! More -- More -- MORE! I shall keep attacking until his words can mock me no longer!"  
*He attacks too quickly!* Digging deeper and deeper into his reserves of strength, Dr. Strange stagger back as he formed more and more shields to hold back Mordo's ever more overwhelming assault. *Is there no limit to the power of Dormammu??*  
  
Mordo advanced, attacking harder, a smile growing on his face as he watched Dr. Strange's defenses crumble, watched his rival stagger backward.  
"You Stagger him Mordo!" Dormammu declared. "He cannot endure much more! I am the explosive! You are the Fuse! Together we can never fail!"  
"If only this supreme moment could last forever!"  
  
*Only seconds before my remaining defenses are hopelessly shattered! Now is the time to make my move! While he is most confident, most unsuspecting!* Diverting a trickle of power from his shields, Dr. Strange formed another spell. *My scheme is so obvious, his sheer over-confidence may prevent him from suspecting it! THERE! The spell has gotten through without him even noticing!*  
  
Mordo's attack faltered, and his eyes widened in shock. He looked at Dr. Strange, and beside him at, "Your spirit separates from your physical form! But -- you control them both at once! You lied to us! Only Eternity could have given you that power!"  
Dr. Strange smiled. "If you say so, evil one!" He casually straightened his stance.  
"You dare to laugh! Then you have been merely toying with me till now!" Mordo's eyes flickered from Dr. Strange to the spirit he saw beside him, unsure which to look at. "But, if Eternity showed you how to make two selves out of one identity, then you are now TWICE as powerful!" Taking a step backward he gathered his mystic power again. "And, how do I know how many more Dr. Stranges you may yet create??!!" He unleashed a pair of mystic blasts against both of the enemies he could see.  
"Alas, I fear you shall never know!" Dr. Strange smiled as he saw his much weaker shield deflect Mordo's attack. *So far so good! He is confused -- frightened! And each passing second allows me to renew my strength!*  
*I - I do not know which one to strike at first!* Mordo continued to attack, his strikes weakened by the division of attention and his sudden loss of confidence.  
  
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu's rage burned as he saw the sudden change in the fight. "Has Mordo gone mad?? He wastes his power by striking at empty air!"  
"Help me, Dormammu! I need power, still more power!" Mordo cried desperately.  
"Bumbling fool! You posses power to spare! Finish him off NOW! I command you!"  
"But how can I battle two of them! They are everywhere at once! The advantage is theirs!"  
Dormammu focused his mystic senses through the portal, and realized what was happening. "Ignore the floating figure, Mordo! Strike at the one who stands and gloats! Only he is your enemy!"  
Strange narrowed his eyes. *I could not deceive Dormammu! But still I gained precious time!*  
Mordo looked to the portal. "Dormammu, I don not comprehend! Why should I strike at only one? Have you switched allegiance? Do you now desire my defeat??!"  
"WEAK-WILLED FOOL! I shall open your cowardly eyes!" with a thought Dormammu wove a spell and directed it through the portal.  
Mordo staggered back, as Dormammu's magic washed over him. "The floating figure begins to fade into nothingness! It vanishes before my eyes!"  
"It never existed!" Dormammu declared angrily. "It was created by a spell, and destroyed by a greater spell! Dormammu's Spell!!"  
  
"Well done." The ancient one said. "But the fight is not yet done.  
  
"Fooled. By such a simple ruse! Only the most crushing defeat can wipe away that affront!!" Mordo screamed, gathering all the power he had. "Nothing that lives can halt my attack now!!" He released a ferocious barrage of powerful spells. "Not until I witness your complete and everlasting annihilation!"  
Dr. Strange frantically avoided Mordo's assault. *His raging fury makes him strike blindly, without plan, without reason! If I can parry his thrusts long enough. . .!* Seeing a stroke of black lightning that he couldn't dodge, Dr. Strange quickly invested power to form a series of shields, which barely stopped the attack. *My chance is certain to come! Sooner or later, he must make a fatal mistake -- leave a careless opening for me. . .!*  
Dr. Strange retreated another step. *There! His rage has caused him to lower his guard!* Diverting part of his power, he fired a quick strike at the weak point in Mordo's defenses. *Though my blows cannot equal the force of his, still they can sting him!*  
"So! At last you strike back! But you are far too late!" He let Dormammu's power flow through him, burning away the pain of the hit, as it fueled an even more ferocious strike. "As Dormammu is my witness, I'll Smash you!"  
Dr. Strange struck again, then once more while dodging a blast which smashed through his desperate shield. *Mordo has thrown all caution to the wind! He strikes in blind fury now, allowing my more careful attack to score again and again!*  
Dr. Strange saw Mordo's defenses fade from neglect; He felt a shift in Mordo's power, as the damage began to impede the power he was channeling.  
Mordo paused, all his effort intent on forming his most devastating spell.  
*Now is the moment!* He released all his defensive spells, and channeled all his strength into a single beam striking into the mystic center of Mordo's body.  
Mordo's forming attack came apart as he felt the pain explode within him. He drew on Dormammu's might, forcing it to flow, forcing his desperately protesting body to channel it. "Dormammu! Do not fail me now! I must have still more power!" He directed some of his power into reforming his defenses.  
Suddenly the power flowing through the portal slowed from a torrent to a trickle. "Why do you not aid me?" Mordo asked, panic in his voice. "Do I not fight your fight Dormammu??"  
"SILENCE!" Dormammu thundered from the portal. "You are not worthy of uttering those words! You have been out-fought from the beginning!" The gate began to glow, burning brighter each second.  
"Dormammu! Wha- What does this mean??!" Mordo gasped.  
Dr. Strange looked at the portal. *He is done with taking merely a passive stand! Now he himself will strike!*  
  
And then, there is a blinding light, which seems to swallow up all that it touches, and no more is heard -- Save the chilling cackle of DORMAMMU! 


	8. Chapter 6

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.

C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts

By Brendan O'Donnell

Chapter 6

Ranma lay on her futon, shaking her head as she dreamed. She could see Dr. Strange standing in the mountains, watched as the Eye of agamotto grew and opened revealing a brightly glowing gateway.

Dr. Strange stepped through, and the portal vanished behind him. Stepping onto a spiderweb thin pathway with determination, Dr. Strange began to walk, following a glowing speck of light. As the light vanished, he saw a gateway resembling the amulet and stepped through.

Into a vast space, empty except for a point just before Strange, where it seemed like a galaxy had been shrunk to the size of a dot. The dot suddenly began to change, growing, and reforming into a manlike shape. Or rather the shape of a man used as a mold into which the entire universe was poured.

I AM ETERNITY

Ranma's eyes opened and she rose into a siting position, sweat pouring down her face as she gasped for air. She reached up to rub her forehead. "Woah, that was. . ." wiping off the sweat she pulled herself to her feet. And looked around. Her father was sleeping beside her in panda form. And outside the window the sun had almost half cleared the horizon.

Ranma paused and looked at her hands a moment. Rising to her feet she quickly made her way to the bathroom. She ran a bucket of hot water, and poured it over her head.

A smile blossomed on Ranma's face as he clenched his larger masculine hands. "Back to Normal." He frowned. "Assuming that normal will mean anything with what's on the horizon."

"You ok, Ranma?" Akane asked as she, Ranma and her sister walked along the canal. "You don't seem all there."

"I'm fine, just this morning, I had a dream."

"Must have been some dream." Nabiki commented. She glanced at Ranma's masculine figure. "I'd expect you to be a little excited about turning back."

"It was more than just a dream. That I'm sure of." Ranma said simply.

"So what happened?" Nabiki asked.

"Something incredible." Ranma replied. He looked down the street, and his gate shifted a moment as he stared. "Wow, I didn't expect him back so soon."

Standing before the gates was the ragged looking figure of Ryouga Hibiki.

"Yo! Ryouga!"

Ryouga blinked and looked forward. He smirked. "I didn't think you had the courage to face me after you ran out on our last fight."

With a scowl Ranma accelerated his walking toward the school. "In case you've forgotten, you got lost in the middle of our fight!" I helped you get lost, but it wasn't cowardice, I just had a higher responsibility.

"SHUT UP!" Ryouga screamed angrily. "Do you think I was just taking a run for my health?! I suffered to get back here!" Shifting his grip on his umbrella, he jumped forward with the yell "Prepare to die Ranma!"

Ranma casually dodged the incoming blow. Twisting around he stepped past Ryouga, raising his hands in a casual defensive stance.

Ryouga pivoted, snapped open the umbrella, and threw it at Ranma. Ranma leaned away from the spinning weapon. Eyes narrowing Ryouga pulled off a bandana, and jumping forward, snapped one end around Ranma's wrist.

"No running away now, Ranma!" Ryouga proclaimed as he stepped in, kicking at Ranma. Who casually ducked under the attack, yanking Ryouga's arm down between his legs. A kick to the back of his knee forced Ryouga to the ground, with one arm still in Ranma's tight grasp.

"So who wants to run?" He commented with a smirk as he adjusted his position on Ryouga's back.

Ryouga's eyes tightened angrily. "You dare." He grasped the earth with his free hand. "Try to force me." With a quick motion he raised both legs straight off the ground, supporting his and Ranma's weight with the one arm. "TO MY KNEES!?" Straightening his arm he threw the pair into the air.

With a twist of his body he shifted his arm back to a forward stance. As he and Ranma fell they traded blows. As the pair hit the ground a quick motion of Ranma's snapped the Bandana tying him to Ryouga. He leaped away and landed in a defensive stance.

Ryouga snarled angrily. Reaching up he pulled off his bandana, then a dozen more. Spinning them he took a step forward. "Try dodging this!" Suddenly the air was filled with bandanas.

Ranma glided back, bobbing and moving to avoid the bandannas.

"Look out!"

Ranma looked at the wall where Akane was crouching over her sister who was lying face down on the ground. His eyes narrowed.

"AN OPENING!" Ryouga screamed as he charged in at Ranma.

Ranma raised one hand above his head and gestured. The bandannas were all suddenly drawn to crash together to form a yellow and black ball overhead. With his other hand he gestured at Ryouga. Who suddenly found the air he was charging through thickening. Like water. Like honey. Like setting concrete.

Ranma turned toward Akane who was helping her sister to her feet. "How's Nabiki?"

"I'm fine," Nabiki replied. "Akane just decided that it'd be fun to knock me flat on my face."

"Well maybe I should have let one of those bandannas cut your head off!"

Ranma turned back to Ryouga. He raised a hand, and the lost boy stumbled forward as the bindings evaporated. "What were you thinking!?" Ranma commented as He walked toward his opponent. "That Bandanna trick could have killed someone. And I don't mean me."

Ryouga was standing there looking at his hands. With eyes filled with uncertainty he looked at Ranma. "What? . . . How? . . ."

Ranma gestured dismissively. "Sorcery. I've been studying for the past year. But that has nothing to do with our fight."

"Our fight."

"Yeah, do you want to start over? And don't worry I never use magic in a straight fight."

"Never use. . . Don't patronize me!" Ryouga replied angrily. "I don't want your pity! And I don't want your charity!"

Ranma shook her head. "What are you talking about. Magic has nothing to do with a man to man duel, so I don't use it!"

"This isn't some game, this is a battle of honor! I'm not here to pretend to fight you while you pretend to fight back!"

"All right." Ranma said angrily. Ryouga blinked as Ranma raised his right hand to his mouth, and bit down hard.

"Rrr," Ranma extended his hand, let the blood flow to pool in the center of his palm a moment, then tilted his hand so the blood could drip to the earth.

"By my eternal honor."

Drip.

"By the Art I wield."

Drip.

"I vow never to use magic in any one on one fight between Ryouga Hibiki and myself."

Drip Drip

"Earth, Sky and all powers that be, witness this compact, bound by my living blood."

Drip Drip Drip.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small bandage and deftly tied up his palm. "There. No magic as long as the fights one on one."

Ryouga blinked, and looked at the blood on the ground. "No magic." He grinned. "Your gonna regret that, you know. I haven't stopped training, and I've even

picked up a few new tricks."

"You want your umbrella?" Ranma replied with a smile

With a smirk Ryouga walked to where his umbrella lay. "Hah, you're going to regret being so generous after I'm done with you."

As Ryouga squatted down to pick up his umbrella, space suddenly folded in on itself and tore open besides Ranma. He stared at the vortex, then a great force with a vaguely familiar feel reached out and pulled him into the portal.

"Ranma!" Akane called as she ran into the field and jumped into the closing vortex after him.

Ryouga pivoted as he heard Akane's cry, then stared at the closing hole in space. "He just. . . Damn you Ranma! That's the last time I let you run away from me!" He ran at the vanishing rift in the fabric of reality, and passed through the spot it had been at full speed. The wall beyond didn't slow him down any more than the empty air.

Ranma looked around himself. He realized that he was floating in a pocket realm between several dimensions. Decided on a direction to think of as down, he drifted to a standing position on the unreal ground he envisioned beneath his feet.

"AAAA!" Came a cry from behind him. Turning he looked at Akane who was sprawled on the pseudo ground.

"Akane?" Ranma walked over and extended a hand down. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw that whirling thing and I thought you were in trouble so. . ."

"Jumped in after me? That was stupid."

"Well excuse me for trying to help!"

"What could you do too help?"

"I. . . Well. . . I'm a martial artist too!"

"You can't punch anything strong enough to create that kind of portal."

"Well, didn't you say I had . . . potential?"

"That means that you might be able to do something in a few months with intense training." Ranma shook his head, and looked around. Seeing three figures nearby, he started walking toward them.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Ranma glanced back. "I had to have been called here for a reason, and they probably have something to do with it."

Akane scowled, then ran after Ranma.

"Ancient One!" Ranma called as he recognized the eldest of the three figures.

Raising a hand to touch his forehead, the ancient one looked at his newest pupil. "Ranma."

"Ancient one." One of the other figures muttered as he stirred from unconsciousness. Shaking his head briefly, Dr. Strange instantly willed himself to an upright stance and floated to the Ancient one.

Ranma looked at Dr. Strange, then at the third floating figure. "Is Mordo still a threat?"

"No, Mordo is harmless now." Dr. Strange replied simply.

"Harmless?" Mordo responded, as he floated to a standing position and gathered his power. "Do not dismiss me so easily!"

Raising one hand Dr. Strange lashed out, imprisoning Mordo in a simple mystic restraint. "Without Dormammu's support you are nothing."

"Do not waste any energy!" The ancient one looked at Dr. Strange. "Now that Dormammu has chosen to act directly, you must be prepared."

Akane looked at the four sorcerers. She sighed, then blinked in surprise as they suddenly stiffened defensively. Glancing around she saw nothing. "What's wrong."

"Something's about to happen." Ranma said.

Suddenly the fabric of reality began to buckle and shift. About fifty feet away from the quintet a tear opened in space, and through stepped what seemed to be a man dressed in strange red armor. A few feet from him, another tear opened, and a small wave crashed through. It quickly elongated and reshaped, pouring into a vaguely humanlike shape. A third portal allowed a great snake with two arms and long blue hair to slither through. A fourth and a fifth portal opened, then a dozen more each allowing another alien being to enter the place. The only common factor of the creatures was a palpable aura of power and menace that surrounded each and every one of them.

"I have heard of some of them." Dr. Strange said quietly.

The Ancient One nodded "Each the dread lord of a different dimension, their names are only spoken in whispers. Only a command from Dormammu could have brought them all here."

"Who are the humans?" Asked a muscular figure in red golden armor, toped by a red helmet.

"The old one is the ancient one." Replied another of the entrants. "I do not know the others."

"I am one of the disciples of the Ancient One." Dr. Strange said with a confidence filled voice.

"I am another." Ranma said, stepping between the growing hoard and his teacher.

Mordo pulled himself straight. "Tremble in my presence, for I serve the Dread Dormammu!"

"Silence Mordo!" Dormammu's voice rang through the space. A great light suddenly ignited, and a blazing portal opened, extending a walkway of solid light. "Is there no limit to your false bravado . . . Your shameless, unjustified boasting??"

"Dormammu!!!" Mordo cowered back from the newly created path.

From the great light, stepped Dormammu, who walked purposefully into the pocket dimension. "Stand aside bungler! The very sight of you merely reminds me how worthless you have proven to be!" He declared as he passed Mordo.

Dormammu came to a halt a few feet from Dr. Strange. "Now, before this gathered assemblage," He raised a hand and pointed. "I challenge the mortal Dr. Strange to engage in combat with me!" Letting his gaze begin to fall upon the fearful crowd, he continued. "And to the victor, shall go the prize of prizes . . . the most coveted treasure of all. . . He who emerges triumphant, shall claim the total mastery of all the Earth, and the supreme voice in the highest council of the known dimensions!

"Thus speaks Dormammu!"

Once again, Dormammu acknowledged the presence of the other dimensional lords. "How speak you all?"

From many a cry of approval rang out. Many of the assembly had failed in their own attempts to defeat the Ancient One and enslave the earth.

Other's however were filled with a sense of eventual doom. They knew that earth's fall would be soon followed by Dormammu's continued expansion by claiming their own realms as well.

I must accept! I have no other choice! If he is not vanquished now, there may never be another opportunity! "I accept the challenge!" Dr. Strange proclaimed.

"Then heed my terms. . . And prepare to abide by them, doomed one!" He raised his clenched hands, showing the small disks attached to the backs of both. "Our only weapons shall be our mystic minds. . . and these enchanted Pincers of Power!" From the two circles on the edge of one disk, extended two appendages of solid light, curving together, to almost meet at their ends. "Neither you nor I shall use any other spells or incantations! Is it agreed, accursed human?"

Dr. Strange began to remove his cloak of levitation. "Hand me my pincers! I do hereby agree!"

Dr. Strange handed his cloak and amulet to the Ancient One. "No matter what befalls, I shall bring no dishonor to my calling, to my trust, or to the faith you have placed in me!"

The Ancient One nodded. "May the Hoary hand of Hoggoth rest lightly on thy brow, my son! May the Eternal eye of Agamotto ne'er turn away from thee!"

Two of the Pincers of Power floated to Dr. Strange, who took them and placed them on the backs of his gloved hands. Curving rays of power emerged from the discs at a thought, a moment of focus caused the rays from his right hand to meet, forming a circle. According to his own terms, it is not power, but skill that will decide the outcome, for we shall be evenly matched! Then, let the battle begin!

In the Dark Dimension the girl who had risked everything to aid Dr. Strange was kneeling before a portal showing the fight. Wrapped in Dormammu's spell, she couldn't even turn her head or close her eyes longer than a blink.

Dr. Strange stepped into the clear area where Dormammu stood alone. "Face me, Mortal!" Dormammu declared. "Stand ready to meet your deadly destiny!"

Dr. Strange extended his pincers to a half-moon shape. Hands moving before him, he advanced on Dormammu, who had half extended his own pincers and moved toward him.

Dormammu struck with a low right, which Dr. Strange avoided, while guarding against his raised left hand. A quick testing attack was blocked by Dormammu's pincer, the two mystic weapons crackling as they commingled. Then Dr. Strange attacked with his other hand.

Dormammu's free pincer rose to catch Dr. Strange's attacking hand at the wrist. Its energy cut off, the pincer went inert.

My hand will soon be paralyzed if I do not quickly break free! Dr. Strange pushed back for a moment, then suddenly fell back on one leg, twisting his arms as he kicked his front at Dormammu's legs. I did it!

Releasing one pincers grip, Dormammu extended one hand to catch the ground. While pulling with his other hand at Strange's entangled pincer, he lashed out with a low kick.

I relaxed too soon! Dr. Strange thought as he tried to control his fall.

A moment later, Dormammu struck again at his downed adversary with both hands. "Hah! Now I've trapped both your pincers!"

He's been toying with me till now!

One of the watching powers commented quietly, "Strange is as good as beaten!"

Akane swallowed nervously. "W-what's going to happen?"

Ranma simply looked at the pair. "The fight's not decided yet." I didn't get much chance to spar with Dr. Strange, but I do know that he's a decent fighter. He still might get out of this.

Dormammu began to slowly pull at Dr. Strange's entrapped wrist. "Once I touch your head, your brain will be stupefied! Your will shall become my will!"

Dr. Strange pushed, resisting Dormammu's greater strength. Then as the hand was inches from his face, he suddenly pulled it past his head, into Dormammu's other hand.

"No!"

The pain of his two pincers clashing made him release his hold on me! His just freed hand reached up to grab Dormammu by the shoulder. "Why do I no longer hear you gloating, Dreaded One?" Dr. Strange said as he hurled Dormammu away from himself. "Is it because one cannot crow while being tossed about like the humblest, most lowly of creatures?!!"

Dormammu instantly rose to his feet and advanced back toward where Dr. Strange again stood. "For untold ages, none have ever dared taunt Dormammu! And now I shall show you why!"

Both pincers extended, Dormammu began another attack. "I have had centuries in which to study the art of combat! No one that lives can be my equal!"

While dodging and blocking, Dr. Strange responded. "Speak not to me of equals, Dormammu!" He stopped a retreat, striking with blows that Dormammu had to block. "I have pledged my very lift to prove I am your superior!"

"Never!" Dormammu extended his pincers to lock both weapons onto the pair strange wielded. "No mere mortal can overcome Dormammu!

"Yield, Human! Yield I command you!"

"Not while life flickers within me!"

Ranma looked on, pushing aside his worry and making himself think analytically. Dormammu's more familiar with the weapons, and he does know how to fight, but if he's ever had to fight seriously it was long ago. That's Dr. Strange's advantage.

One of the witnesses commented, "The human fight's has the courage of an enchanted one! But his cause is hopeless!"

"Only to those without faith can there be no hope!" The ancient one responded, not taking his eyes from the fight.

"Enough!" Dormammu declared, forcing Dr. Strange's arms down. "It is time to end this tiresome parrying!" He kicked out a blow which Dr. Strange moved his leg to avoid. Shifting his stance, he struck again, pushing at the back of Dr. Strange's leg while forcing his arms down. "You shall not escape by twisting about again! Not while I keep your arms pinned back!"

His strength is beyond any humans! Dr. Strange thought, as he tried to find a way to throw off Dormammu's grip. Suddenly his hands came together, and Dormammu shifted his pincers grips. He's pinned both my hands with one pincer, and his other hand is free!

Dormammu pulled the hand holding Strange's arms downward, while holding his other hand, pincers extended a foot away from his opponents face. "The game is ended, Strange! The victory is mine!

"Now beg! Beg for mercy to your conqueror!"

Dr. Strange suddenly shifted his legs, pushing himself back into Dormammu's chest with all his strength. "Though a thousand deaths be in store," twisting his body he set down one foot and swung his trapped hands. "A disciple of the Ancient one will never beg!" Dormammu's grip dissipated as he was thrown to the ground, and Dr. Strange leapt after him, his pincers striking to seal Dormammu's power at the wrists.

"And now Dormammu, it is I who have your hands pinned beneath me!"

The crowd was silent, most shocked by this turn around.

My deadliest enemy is actually winning! Strange is defeating Dormammu?! Baron Mordo thought as he looked at the fight. It cannot be! It must not be!! He raised his hands gathering his power. At last I have a chance to redeem myself in the eyes of Dormammu!

Beside the Ancient One, Ranma's gaze swept along the crowd. This is just the time when someone would interfere. His gaze stopped on Mordo's raised hands, the mage's just completed spell erupting forward. NO! Ranma raised his hands, channeling as much of his strength as he could into a shield between Mordo and Dr. Strange.

Shattering Ranma's shield like glass, Mordo's attack struck Dr. Strange from behind, throwing him to the ground.

Dormammu rose to his feet and looked down at his adversaries still form. "You shall pay for that Mordo! By the Seven Rings of Raggador how you shall pay!"

Mordo cringed back in terror as Dormammu advanced on him. "But Master, I thought I was helping you!"

"You. . . A bungling, talentless, powerless mortal. . . you dared to presume to think you could help Dormammu??!!

"You were merely a tool of mine, a hireling! But you dared go over my head, you dared act on your own, without a command from me!"

"I meant no harm! I wanted to help!. . ."

"SILENCE!!!" Raising his hands Dormammu crafted a spell. "I shall transport you to the Dimension of Demons where you will pay for your folly until it suits me to return you again!" Releasing his magic, Dormammu caused a portal to open like a scroll beneath Mordo's Feet.

"No Dormammu. . . NO! Have mercy, I beg you! Mercy. . .!"

Dormammu released his spell and looked at the closing portal. "Mercy? Bah! That is a word for humans, not for The Dread Dormammu!"

Dormammu turned back toward the assembled spectators. "Though I did not win in the manner I would have chosen, still am I the sole survivor! Therefore I demand my prize! I must be crowned master of all dimensions!"

"Stop!" All the assembled turned to the voice.

"I am also the Ancient One's apprentice." Ranma said stepping forward. "And I say that if Dr. Strange's body is to injured to finish the fight, I offer my own!"

Dormammu hesitated, looking at Ranma, then Dr. Strange. "The strain of the transition, the unfamiliarity of bodies, I could win too easily!"

"Are you refusing the challenge?" Dr. Strange asked as he pushed himself to a sitting position. "If you are than you must have wanted Mordo to attack me, must fear to continue our fight!"

Dormammu stepped forward angrily. "Those rash words have sealed you doom! Now, you shall both surely die!" He raised a hand and extended its pincers. "I posses the power to erase you all from existence in an instant, yet I prefer to continue our battle as before. . . using only physical weapons!

"Claim your surrogate body! I grow impatient to end this!"

Dr. Strange limped to his master and sat. Closing his eyes he separated his astral body. Floating to Ranma, Dr. Strange's astral form looked at his fellow mystic. "You are sure you want to go through with this?"

With a smile Ranma responded, "We are fighting for all who live, not just ourselves. Besides I hate being on the sidelines during a fight!"

"Then let us begin." Dr. Strange's Astral body vanished into Ranma.

Ranma closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Reaching within, he collapsed his mystic defenses, then reached deeper, drawing up the knowledge of his body's functioning. He felt Dr. Strange's mind mixing with his own, and quelled his instinctive fear, opening everything he was to his elder student. Then feeling Dr. Strange's prompt, he let go of his body, and his astral form floated free.

Dr. Strange opened the eyes of his borrowed body. "It is done."

Ranma floated to hover by the Ancient One. "Now we just have to wait and see."

"Indeed, my student. I commend you on your courage."

Akane shook her head I thought I heard Ranma but I couldn't make him out. Looking at the Ancient One she asked, "Who are you. . . I mean is Ranma. . ."  
With a kindly smile, the Ancient One lifted a hand before her eyes. "See what is hidden."

Akane blinked. Where there had been empty space, there was suddenly a very translucent image of Ranma. Gingerly extending a hand, she pushed her fingers into the empty air where his arm appeared to be. "Wow."

Ranma raised a finger in a quieting gesture, not taking his eyes away from the match that was building.

Dr. Strange stepped forward. Ranma's studies allowed him to pass along the knowledge and reflexes so that I can use this body at it's full potential. If I can hide that fact it will be to my advantage.

Pincers extended Dormammu lunged forward, smiling at the awkwardness of Dr. Strange's dodge. "Hah! Just as I thought! You back away from my simplest blow. You know you can't fight me in that body!

"You gambled that I might hold off on seeking the kill until you had time to adjust to that apprentice's shell." Dormammu advanced, striking again and again. "Thought to stall me while you gained strength and skill each minute! You shall not have the chance!!"

Positioning must be right, Dr. Strange stumbled and his body jerked to keep from falling. I hope he thinks that stumble was real!

With a triumphant cry Dormammu stepped forward, lashing out with both pincers at his opponents unstable body.

"Wha. . . What will happen. . ." Akane said quietly, looking at Ranma. Ranma was floating beside the Ancient One, both faces the image of calm. Wait Akane looked closer, examining the curve of Ranma's phantom lips to see if there really was a barely visible smile.

Now! Dropping into a wide stance, Dr. Strange suddenly shifted to one side, his right hand lashing forward to meet Dormammu's oncoming attack. His Pincer shot under Dormammu's, to catch his wrist, and sealing the power. Then a quick pivot slammed the caught limb into the other, the single pincer sealing both of Dormammu's.

"And now. . ." Dr. Strange forced both of Dormammu's hands above his head. With his left hand, Strange now struck, his pincer encircling Dormammu's waist. Raising his arms, Dr. Strange held Dormammu over his head.

"And now you are helpless! Using your own weapons, Fighting with your own rules, I have won!!"

Shock rippled across the assembled spectators. "Dormammu has been vanquished."

"What now? Dormammu's wrath will be beyond measure!"

Releasing the pincers Dr. Strange flung Dormammu to the ground. He raised the hand of his borrowed body. "Now the price of your defeat! You must swear never to turn your power against Earth. . . And we shall ALL be witnesses!"

Slowly rising to his feat Dormammu clenched his fist. "I could have destroyed you a thousand times, in a thousand ways. . ."

"No Matter! You swore conditionally when the match began. We await your oath!"

Dormammu stood, and his boundless power began to swirl violently around him. "I do so swear!" His power rose higher and fiercer. "And now let there be an end to this!" He looked to the ancient lords. "Return you all to your dimensions!" As the lords fled through hastily crafter portals, he raised a hand and formed a gate to the Dark Dimension.

"I must be alone." Dormammu said, looking at his human adversaries. "I must plan my plans of vengeance!"

With a small smile the Ancient One said "No matter what plans he makes, earth shall be safe! For he has so sworn!"

With a gesture, Dormammu formed a portal and cast the four humans back into earth's dimension.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!" Akane screamed as she saw the vast city spread out far beneath her, and felt the rushing wind as she plunged toward the distant ground. Then the wind stopped.

"Calm down Akane," Ranma's spectral said as it floated in front of her.

She looked around. The Ancient One was casually sitting on thin air seemingly unconcerned by their height. And beside him, Ranma, or rather Dr. Strange in Ranma's body was floating. His red cape fluttered on his back, and his original body floated just under his outstretched right hand. She was floating up to just below his left.

"Well, that's the Tokyo tower, so I guess Dormammu sent us all to the area where he grabbed me and Akane." Ranma commented.

"Then where should we land?" Dr. Strange responded. "I assume you're impatient to regain your proper body?"

"Not too faded yet, but we definitely should get it done." He began to descend toward the city below. "The dojo's this way."

Akane opened the doorway. "I'm home!" She called.

With a rumble her father and sisters stormed into the entryway.

"AKANE!" Soun cried as he grabbed her, tears spraying from his eyes. "Your safe!"

"Dad," Akane commented uncomfortably. "I haven't been gone that long,"

"However long it's been, you did leave through that whatever it was." Nabiki said, pushing past the pair. She paused as she looked at Ranma, taking in the red cape on his shoulders and the man he was holding. "Ok, Saotome, start talking."

Ranma looked at her, then glanced to one side. He raised two fingers of one hand, and the center of his circular amulet suddenly cracked open, a dazzling light pouring from the crack.

Nabiki blinked, then stared at the second Ranma who was floating just to one side of the first. Her jaw dropped as she pointed from one to the other. "You. . . He. . ."

Raising a translucent hand the floating Ranma said, "I'm Ranma." He gestured to the old frail looking man behind them. "This is my teacher, The Ancient One, Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension." He gestured to the other Ranma. "This is the Ancient One's first student Dr. Strange. Circumstances necessitated that I loan him my body for use."

"Loan your. . . I won't ask about interest."

Kasumi smiled. "Oh my, will you be staying for dinner? I'll want to go to the market if we're having guests."

Dr. Strange shook Ranma's head. "You needn't put yourself to any bother, we can stay at a hotel. . ."

Akane scowled. "You just saved the world! We are not throwing you out!"

Ranma nodded. "Indeed you can sleep in Pop and my room."

The Panda made a surprised sound and held up a sign saying "Don't I have any say in this?"

Ranma's astral body floated right in front of his father. His eyes glowed red and his hands began to blaze with a blue aura. "They get the room, we get the Dojo."

In the Dojo Dr. Strange put his body down. He stepped away from it and sat on the floor. Arranging himself, he glanced at Ranma. "I will be ready momentarily."

"So why all the fuss?" Nabiki commented.

Ranma glanced at Dr. Strange. Turning to Nabiki and Akane he responded, "This was an unusual split, in essence I separated the part of myself which really knows how to make my body work, and passed it to Dr. Strange. Now he's got to shift it back to me, and it's a delicate procedure."

Akane blinked. "That's why Dormammu thought you, no, Dr. Strange wouldn't be able to move right."

"It's an unusual technique, and you really have to trust whoever your offering your body to."

"Ranma." Dr. Strange said quietly. Turning his head, Ranma floated to his body, then sank into it. For a few moments he sat, still save for the steady motion of his chest. Then Dr. Strange's Astral Body emerged. A moment later he floated down and merged with his own body.

Ranma opened his eyes and rose unsteadily to his feet. Dr. Strange rose a moment later.

"It's done." They both said in near unison.

Nabiki looked at Dr. Strange, then at Ranma. She then turned her gaze to Nabiki. "So who is this Dorma Moo, and what does it have to do with what where you and Ranma have been?"

"Shampoo thought girl in Tokyo?" Shampoo commented as she glanced around the train.

"This Hokkaido lead is worth following up." Cologne responded. That was the Ancient One at that house! What is he doing in Japan?!

Shan knelt at the center of a crude magic circle scratched out in the earth. Before him floated a small pot, wobbling in the air.

"Let Doubts become Sureness

Let Sureness become Might"

The contents of the pot began to boil and glow, directing a small pillar of light toward the sky. Shan a piece of silvery metal resembling a cross between a horseshoe and a tuning fork and released it into the stream, where the light began to bleed into it.

"Might of Certainty

Power of Agura"

Sham plucked a hair from his head. He dipped an end of it into the pot, then raised it to touch the metal object. The hair suddenly expanded and grew, wrapping several inches of the object.

"I Claim Your Power for My Own!

Become Mine, Talisman of Certainty!"

He grabbed the metal object with both hands. The Circle became filled with light as the newly created talisman shone with a light that spread to encompass Shan as well.


	9. Chapter 7

Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi, Dr. Strange was one of the greatest creations of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.

C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts

By Brendan O'Donnell

Chapter 7

Ranma glanced down from the fence at Nabiki.

Nabiki walked beside her sister, a slightly uncertain expression on her face.

Ranma shifted his glance to Akane who walked calmly and deliberately.

With a sigh Ranma hopped down between the two girls. "I haven't mastered the Spell of Forgetfulness yet, but if you want something removed from your memories I could ask Strange-Sensei."

Akane snapped her head with a slightly shocked expression. "I don't want to forget anything!"

Nabiki simultaneously raised her hands defensively and hopped back. "No, no thanks for the offer."

"I was joking." Ranma responded, shaking his head. "I was just worried because you were so quiet."

Smirking Nabiki responded, "Hey I thought you'd be glad that I wasn't pointing out how your dad kicked your ass this morning."

Ranma scowled, then it shifted into a half smirk. "I'm not bringing up last nights accident, am I?"

Nabiki turned bright red at the memory.

Flashback:

Nabiki shook her head as she looked at the three Sorcerers chatting at the table. "I don't know about you but I've got homework to do." She said as she rose to her feet and started out of the room.

Two steps from the table, she suddenly felt every hair on her body stand on end. Just to her side, a stream of mist appeared, then spread into a small curtain of fog. Then the center of the curtain seemed to disintegrate from a great light shining out of it.

Power poured from the newly formed portal like heat from an inferno. Backing away Nabiki tripped and scrambled back with hands and legs. Then a face made of flames appeared within the portal.

Ranma's two fellow sorcerers talked to each other, the only thing that penetrated the overwhelming fear was a name. Dormammu.

"Surely you did not think you had heard the last of me? I have something to show you victorious one!" Dormammu's voice shifted, loosing some of it's anger and gaining a touch of happiness.

Nabiki remained frozen, watching the banishment a white hared girl. Then she felt hands pulling her to her feet.

"That's enough." Ranma said softly, putting a hand in front of her eyes as he pulled her from the room. "There are just some things you don't want to deal with." He paused and sniffed the air a moment. Glancing down he added, "Ah, the Furo. I'll ask Kasumi to get you some clothes."

Nabiki blinked, and looked down to confirm the feeling of wetness she suddenly recognized in her pants.

End Flashback.

"Yes." Nabiki said coldly. "Let's not bring that up."

Shan stood on a rooftop and gazed toward the canal that was about a mile away. He smiled as his magic enhanced sight picked out Ranma and two of the girls from the house he was staying at. He smiled a very fierce smile. "Well, Ranma."

He raised a hand, beginning to gather mystical energy between his fingers, then dropped his hand. "No, not yet." He looked in the direction the three youths had come.

"I shall no longer be deceived by Gaijin lies!" Kuno proclaimed, stepping forward, holding a gohei above his head. He was dressed in a white kimono, and had strapped two burning candles to his head with a headband. He lowered the gohei, it's paper strips rattling as he pointed it at Ranma. "Now Ranma, your foreign arts shall fall before the Power of Japan!" He charged, snapping the gohei back and forth in front of him.

Ranma waited for Kuno, then dropped into a crouch, his leg shooting out to knock Kuno's feet out from under him.

"I fight on Saotome!" Kuno declared as he pulled himself from the ground. "Ugh." He added as Ranma kicked him back onto the ground.

Shan stood outside the Tendo Dojo. He nodded to himself. "That spell I felt this morning was the Ancient one departing. And Strange has also left." He smiled. "So it's just Ranma and I." He raised a hand to touch the leather bag hanging around his neck. He chortled quietly.

Ranma sat in his chair, dividing his efforts between watching the board and keeping awake. Suddenly his half-closed eyes popped wide open. "The House!" Leaping to his feet, he ran to the window and jerked it open.

"Mr. Saotome!" the teacher responded, flipping his eraser into a perfect throwing grip.

"Bathroom!" Ranma responded as he launched himself through the window.

All the other students flocked to the window, to watch Ranma leaping over the school wall, then bouncing from roof to roof.

"Wow, look at him go." One student commented

"Yeah, I wonder what made him run off like that?"

"Class," The teacher said in a very cold and angry tone.

Everyone but Akane dashed back into their seats. He said something about the house, Pivoting she ran to the door.

"Tendo!"

"Family Emergency Sensei!" Akane cried as she ran into the hall.

Ranma leaped across the roofs as fast as he could, thinking of what he had felt. Whatever knocked down my wards had a lot of power behind it. Not like the Ancient one or Strange Sensei, but still tough. He thought for a moment of slowing down, taking time to judge the situation and wait for help. "No. Mr. Tendo, Pop and Kasumi are home." He jumped from the roof, and sprinted down the street to the Dojo, sliding fifteen feet to stop himself in front of the door. The brightly glowing red door.

Raising his hands, Ranma expanded his senses. This aura feels familiar. Like Shans. He looked at the Door. "An alarm spell, but mostly a signature." He redirected his senses up and around the house. "There's not even anything else." Ranma commented as he sprinted toward the wall and leaped over it into the yard.

"Nothing else is necessary, Saotome."

Ranma turned toward the Dojo where the voice had come from.

"Just an invitation for us to finish what we started." Shan continued as he stepped out of the dojo. "No more pretenses, just magic and death." He smirked and nodded his head slightly.

From the roof of the Tendo home, Soun and Genma leaped down and charged at Ranma. Ranma stood waiting, not turning his head from Shan. Then as the pair wound up for a strike, Ranma casually took a step back and raised his arms, striking both in the face, each with their own backhand punch.

"You can't expect that someone under mind control can fight well enough to really hurt me."

"Not really, no. I just wanted to see if you would really hit your father and his friend." He looked past Ranma frowning slightly. "Well?"

Kasumi's voice responded from behind him. "Um, are you sure you want me to hit Ranma with this teakettle? It's a very nice kettle, and if it gets bent out of shape it might not make such nice tea."

Shan rolled his eyes. "Ok, go cook up a victory feast."

"Oh, thank you sir!" Kasumi responded, as she turned and walked back into the house.

"Peaceful girl." Shan commented.

"Extremely." Ranma responded, raising his hands and gathering his magical strength.

Shan raised a hand, projecting a mystic bolt at Ranma.

Ranma raised his own hand, forming a shield. The blow caused the shield to buckle, but it held. Not Good Ranma thought to himself as he leaped to dodge a second blast, releasing a blast of his own in response.

Akane was almost out of breath as she came to a stop outside the Dojo. She looked around quickly. "Nothing. . ." She paused and looked at the door. There was something odd about it. The color seemed wrong, and when she didn't look directly at it, it almost seemed to be glowing. She extended her hand to gingerly touch it. "OWW!" She pulled her hand back shaking it. It's electrified or something.

From the corner of her eye she saw a beam of light shoot from the yard. "Ok!" She ran to the wall jumped, and grabbed the top, vaulting herself into the yard.

Looking around she saw her father lying on the ground close to the house. Ranma's father was next to him. And by the Dojo Ranma and a Chinese stranger were throwing yellow lightning at each other. Well it was mostly the stranger who was doing the throwing, Ranma was gesturing, and the blasts were being blocked by something invisible in front of him.

A sorcerer like Ranma. She thought as she carefully moved along the edge of the yard. Could I stop someone like that? She considered Ranma's encounters with Kuno, and felt a chill run down her spine. Well whatever I do, I'd better try to do it by surprise.

Ranma felt the sweat on his forehead as he blocked another blast. Shan's form was somewhat sloppier than he had seen, but his strength was far greater than it had been before.

He feels odd, but I can't sense any outside power. Besides if he had gained power from a demon he would be even stronger than this. He released a blast which was deflected by Shan's shields. Shan fired a counter blast, Which passed beneath Ranma's feet as he jumped.

With a smile, Shan raised his left hand, a single glowing chopstick held between two fingers.

DAMN! Ranma thought as Shan hurled the chopstick. Boosted by his crafted spells, it accelerated and struck Ranma's shield, punching through them easily. "GRAAH!" Ranma gritted his teeth as he grabbed at his stomach where the chopstick was now embedded.

His smile expanding Shan gestured with his left hand.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Eldrich power blazed from the wooden weapon, flowing through Ranma's body like hot liquid pain through a hose.

Ranma! Akane Jumped at Shan, twisting into a downward punch which passed through the space Shan had occupied a moment earlier and tore a small crater in the ground.

"Bad move." Shan stated from where he now levitated, ten feet away. He thrust his hand forward, releasing a blast of concussive force, throwing Akane back to the wall.

Lowering his hand Shan turned to Ranma. And frowned. "Going for help? I'd advise against that Saotome!" He said loudly. "I've set a few detection spells, and if your astral body gets to far out of the area, it'll automatically trigger a few nasty effects on your father and those other two."

Akane shakily pulled herself halfway up, gritting her teeth against the pain. Danm, what can I do against that monster?

Akane, don't talk, just focus your thoughts and I'll hear them.

"R. . ." Ranma? Akane bit back her verbal response.

Yeah, that weapon he had set really did some damage to my body, but I was able to shift into my astral form. Unfortunately I'm a lot weaker like this.

Like with Dr. Strange, would you be stronger if I let you use my body?

I'd prefer to have an alternative, it's a real risk for you.

Like being here with this nutcase isn't?!

"I know you're still close, Saotome." Shan said, floating near Ranma's body. "Maybe you need more of an incentive to come out and fight?" He pivoted, turning until he was looking at Akane. "Maybe this girls screams will bring you back to fight."

Damn! Clear your mind, try to let go of everything! Ranma projected as he phased his astral body out of the ground into Akane.

How, Right. Clear, Clear, Blank. . . Akane closed her eyes and forced herself to relax as something invisible gently lifted her into the air.

"Hmm," Shan commented as he floated to Akane. "Where to begin?" He raised a hand, energy crackling along it to focus in two extended fingers.

Akane's eyes shot open, and with a sudden burst of levitation she darted forward enough for her rising kick to slam into Shan's side, throwing the sorcerer toward the Tendo House.

Drawing in mystical energy from the surroundings Ranma wove a strong mystic bolt that shot after Shan.

A foot from the house Shan's movement stopped, and he instantly rotated back toward Akane. "Heh, You actually think you'll be able to challenge me indirectly Saotome?" He said as he raised a hand and deflected Ranma's attack. Feeling the energy of the talisman around his neck, he floated forward and dropped to the ground. "Here, I'll let you have a free attack so that you can truly understand your helplessness."

What to do? Ranma thought to himself. He was weaker than in his real body, and even then Shan's strength had been overwhelming. There has to be some spell, some power. . . Ranma blinked, then raised his hands and gathered his strength.

"By the myriad great powers

"That rule the day and night."

Energy began to coalesce and build between Ranma's two hands.

"May the Faltine Flames now pierce you"

At the center of the ball of power a green spark ignited into an emerald conflagration.

"With a thousand points of light!"

Ranma thrust his hands forward, and the ball of flame exploded away from him, spawning a swarm of flaming projectiles.

As Shan saw the fire forming, his grin faded, and he redoubled the strength of his shielding. A moment later the green flames reached him. "GRRRRA!" Shan focused everything he had into holding his deeply cratering shield together. "AHHHH!" he screamed and one then another and another missile of fire pierced his defenses to stab into him. As the attack died, he raised his hand to the bag around his neck, extending his power to the talisman within, letting it wipe away his feelings of uncertainty, fill his reserves with more power.

Ranma forced down a moment of double vision. That bag. . . Have to end the fight now. He shifted Akane's legs into a slight crouch. Raising Akane's right hand before her face he began chanting once more.

"Winds of Watoomb fill my hand."

As the air began to swirl around Akane's right hand, Ranma leaped, flying into Shan like an arrow.

"Send my foe beyond this land!"

As the palm strike shattered through Shan's still disrupted shields, the swirling wind encasing Akane's hand expanded and wrapped around Shan. As he flew backward from the palm strike to his stomach, his flight accelerated, and moments later he was nothing but a dot on the horizon.

Akane dropped to the ground and sighed, tiredly. She took a breath, then exhaled shakily as Ranma pulled his Astral body from her.

"Wow, that was. . . wow." Akane said quietly.

Ranma floated toward the house, looking closely. Then he raised his hand, and began a quick series of movements with his hands. A few moments later he nodded and floated to his body.

Akane looked down in worry at the stick imbedded in Ranma's body. "Is there anything I can do?"

Ranma looked at her and smiled. 'The weapon doesn't have any serious enchantments, it was just meant to quickly disable. It's magic has already faded, and it just needs to be removed. Dr. Tofu would probably be able to, though I'd expect you'd want to check on your sister first."

"Kasumi!" Akane turned and ran into the house.

'Ranma?'

Ranma turned his astral head to look at the Ancient One's astral form floating toward him. 'Master, I thank you for coming.'

'Don't fear, Shan's act draws my interest by itself. Do you have any idea what has driven him to reveal his true allegiance?'

Ranma shook his head. 'I know that his strength was boosted somehow. It seemed tied to the bag around his neck. And there was no trace of another power to him, so I doubt he's pacted with any power.' Ranma scowled. 'He almost had me. He would have had me if not for the Flames. And if he hadn't been so overconfident as well.'

'Indeed, the Flames seemed much stronger than you have ever been able to summon them.'

'Akane must have some affinity, I guess. He'll be back.' Ranma looked to the horizon.

'You will have two or three days, my student,' the Ancient one replied. 'Shan has been thrown across the world, and even boosted he lacks the strength to teleport or fly back here.'

'Two days. Not like it'll do any good.' Ranma commented in a depressed voice.

'Ranma?'

'I got lucky this time. If I try to stop him again, he'll win easily.' His face twisted into an angry expression. 'Dad raised me to avoid asking for help. I still hate it, but the Tendo's are at risk too. And the only way they'll be safe is if someone who's magic's worth something steps in.'

'No. There is another way.'

Ranma and the Ancient One floated above a cave in the mountain near the Ancient One's temple.

'When I granted Dr. Strange the improved Eye of Agamato, I placed the older eye deep within that cave. If you can reach it and pass it's test, it will make all the difference in your next fight with Shan.'

'What's this test?'

'One of your own making,'

Ranma looked at his teacher. With a smile on his face, he bowed to the Ancient One. 'Ok, I'll be back with the eye soon.' Turning he flitted down and into the cave.

The Ancient one sighed and looked down. 'May Agamatto show you mercy, young one.'

Ranma's astral form extended a hand to feel the mountain. It felt quite solid, even to his spectral hand. 'Ok,' He commented, flying to the entrance to the cave. 'That's no surprise.' Cautiously he floated into the dark tunnel into the mountain. Drifting along the natural corridor, he stopped before the sealed door at it's end. Reaching out a hand he realized that it was not shielded against Astral intrusion so he phased through it. Into the light.

Ranma raised a hand before his eyes, before remembering his spectral nature. Lowering his hands he looked into the brightly lit room. At the center of the natural chamber was a pillar, and above the pillar floated a sphere of brilliant light. Within the light he could make out the square outline of Dr. Strange's old amulet.

Ranma felt for barriers, traps, or anything keeping him from the amulet. Sensing nothing he cautiously began to float forward.

Vision

Ranma saw himself fighting Shan. His body was injured and he casually seized Akane's, his pride demanding that he use her before asking for help.

End Vision

Ranma shook his head, as he looked back into the chamber. IT WASN'T LIKE THAT! I couldn't. . . If I had tried. . . He looked back into the light. Screwing his determination he floated forward again.

Vision

Ranma fought Shan, his pride No! He saw Shan's barrier, tasted the cruelty in Shan's smile. Not just for pride! He thought of Kasumi and Akane, recalling his desire to protect them. To Impress them and gain praise They would have died if I fled, I had to keep them safe, whatever their response. I. . .

End Vision

Vision

Ranma Stood before the Ancient one asking to learn magic. His mind was filled with rage against Shan, and his imagination began to craft the vengence he would wreck. I also wanted to protect the Ancient One. I swore to fight to support life and I meant every word!

End Vision

Vision

Ranma looked down from the log, savoring how his foe had been so thoroughly defeated; defeated in the name of his appetite and his pride.

. . . Ranma looked within, searching for his other feelings, the joy of using his skills, the hope of friendship, but shame filled him as he realized how small a part of his thoughts they had occupied during the fight. A rising sense of shame made him want to turn from the chamber, but he forced it down. Forced himself to look that version of himself in the eye and accept how much of it was him

End Vision

Each inch that Ranma advanced engulfed him in a memory, a vision into the flaws of his being. He forced some back with memory's of his most deeply buried virtues, but others he accepted, like weights on his soul, weighing him down, slowing his progress even further.

'I can't let myself fail.' He forced himself onward, reaching deep inside himself to search for the virtues that balanced the flaws, pushing back the weight with hope of what he could attain. 'I. . .'

He felt something with his spectral hand. Looking down he saw light blazing forth, burning like an icy inferno. Then as he let the flames wash over him, the light faded, and he saw the square golden amulet his hand was clenched around. 'The eye.'

Ranma forced his eyes to open, and looked up at the ceiling of Dr. Tofu's clinic. Looking down at his hand, he saw the amulet, a circle within a square, in the palm of his hand. I did it.

Shan looked up at the sun and scowled. "Not strong enough to teleport. . . Not yet." He raised one hand to caress the bag hanging around his neck. Turning he walked into the airport. Dominating the businessman to hand him his ticket had been laughably easy, and his magic would keep anyone from questioning his possession of it. What's more, the plane offered time to rest and restore his strength. His strength is nothing compared to mine, but I want to take my time and savor this victory.

"Saotome?" the teacher asked.

"He has personal business today and tomorrow, sensei." Akane responded.

"Hmm, he had better not make a habit of it."

In his sanctom, just outside real space in the Tendo Attic, Ranma floated, his body enveloped in a cocoon of vapors. Inside he slept deeply, as the Mists of Morpheus healed and invigerated his body.


End file.
